


Catch and Release

by TheRedPoet



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Cunnilingus, F/F, F/M, Infidelity, Light BDSM, Mutual Masturbation, Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28008810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedPoet/pseuds/TheRedPoet
Summary: Harry meets the Leanansidhe one night and fate takes him down a very different road. Which is how he meets Charity Carpenter... and why he kidnaps her.
Relationships: Charity Carpenter/Harry Dresden, Harry Dresden/The Leanansidhe, Harry Dresden/The Leanansidhe/Charity Carpenter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to just add a little bit of a prequel/sequel combo to this old fic and promptly lost control of the damn story. Ended up writing the entire thing in maybe 2-3 weeks and throwing in quite a lot of worldbuilding that was absolutely pointless for a fic like this. :p
> 
> A few warnings that I feel weren't entirely warranted without context provided here: There's no non-consensual stuff going on in this story, but there are situations where the circumstances might make it nudge towards that feel. The kidnapping, specifically. There's infidelity, because of the Dresden/Charity pairing, which is frankly what more than anything made me uncomfortable writing this, because Michael's such a great guy. It was part of the original story's concept, though, and it felt like chickening out to hand-wave it. Finally, the story starts when Dresden's 16-ish or so, which technically means he'd be underage in some countries/state for the very first scene.
> 
> Enjoy. ^^

As far back as I could remember, Lea had always been there. Even when I’d lived with my dad, I had vague memories of long, curling red hair, pale skin and amber eyes that kept popping up every so often. As a beggar who I walked past on my way through town to school or a businesswoman sitting in a trendy café, sipping a cup of coffee and watching me go by over a newspaper.

After dad died, she took a more active role and checked in frequently: As a substitute teacher, guidance counsellor and once even as a particularly zealous soccer coach. She usually had some wisdom to impart and I usually took it up without realising untils months or years later.

It wasn’t until my magic started showing and Justin took me in that I began to realise that the hauntingly beautiful woman who kept showing up in my life wasn’t just some eccentric person, or someone who might try to lure me into a van with an offering of candy.

I’d thought of her as my sort of faerie godmother before, but it wasn’t until it was then that I realised just how literal that might actually be.

I’d been falling for Elaine, because of course I had been, and being sixteen, I didn’t have the first clue of how to deal with that. I’d taken my go-to solution, running and brooding. The running had taken me through the forest near Justin’s house and I’d stopped somewhere in a little clearing to catch my breath and lit a fire for company while I did.

That’s when she appeared.

Lea wore a dress of flowing green silk that clung to the ample curves of her body. Her skin was unblemished and pale as milk. She smiled at me.

“Godmother,” I said, and inclined my head in what I hoped her folk thought was a polite manner. “It’s… it’s you.”

“Of course, Godson,” the Leanansidhe confirmed. “Whoever else might it be?”

She came closer and I knew I should’ve been scared. Instead I idly noticed that her feet were bare. Even her feet were pretty. I’m not into feet. I’m not weird. Not that there’s anything wrong with… You know what, screw it.

“Right,” I mumbled and felt incredibly stupid. “Uh… What’re you doing here?”

“Duty,” she murmured, watching me intently. “Fate, perhaps. Amusement, certainly.”

“Oh. Okay.” I just stared. Mostly because I had no idea what she was talking about, but the dress was definitely a factor, too. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”

Lea inclined her head. “This does not mean I have not seen you.”

“I guess… but I never took you for the kind of creep on people with binoculars and a box of donuts.”

“What do you take me for, Harry?”

I swallowed. A thousand things jumped to my tongue, most of them incredibly stupid. Stuff like “the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen” was probably the least stupid. So I kept my mouth shut for once. A realisation struck me and I jumped onto that trail of thoughts before I embarrassed myself.

“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” I said. “Ever since I started to live with Justin.”

“A reasonable deduction,” Lea said.

She settled next to me and I winced. Her perfume smelled like wildflowers and woodsmoke and I felt dizzy as I breathed it in.

“Are you scared of him? I won’t let him hurt you.”

I definitely should’ve kept my mouth shut. But no, I had to open it and obviously stupid shit like that would come out.

“He is a mortal man… and so are you. You would be unwise and in error to assume I feared either of you, or were in need of your protection.”

I looked down at my feet. “I didn’t mean... sorry.”

“Is he the reason you are here in the woods as night draws near?” She stroked a gentle finger along a bruise on my cheek.

Justin never hit without reason, but he was a firm believer in both carrot and stick, and never hesitated to use either.

“No. It’s not about Justin.” I sighed. “It’s nothing. It’s stupid.”

“Mayhaps it is. Mayhaps it is not.”

I hesitated. “It’s Elaine… I don’t know what to do.”

“Has your master not explained these things to you?”

”My what? and what?”

“The man you call Justin DuMorne. Has he not fulfilled his obligation and taught you about physical relations?”

“Uh…” I stared into the crackling fire. “Not really, no. I guess we’ve had sex Ed is school, but-“

“Pah.” She waved away with an impatient gesture and stood. Backlit by the flame, her burnished locks made her look as though she was wreathed in a fiery corona. I considered vocalising it - because maybe the poetry of it would impress her - but thought better of it. My English teachers hadn’t been impressed by my poetry, Elaine hadn’t been impressed with my poetry, and the being who had gained her power by inspiring poets and writers across centuries probably wouldn’t be, either.

“They may have been lax in their duties, but never let it be said that I would derelict mine.”

She stepped forwards, naked feet whispering along the ground, and a part of me wanted to run away screaming. That part wasn’t really in charge anymore, though and I remained still on the rock as the Leanansidhe settled herself astride my lap.

I was already achingly, embarrassingly hard, and I had absolutely no idea what to make of any of this. I blinked up at her stupidly. The words ‘what are you doing’ came to the tip of my tongue, but I bit down on them. I might be sixteen but I wasn’t a fucking idiot. It was pretty clear what she was doing.

I could feel myself throbbing. My underwear was already slick and sticky where my erection pressed against it. Lea smiled at me and I shivered, caught somewhere between fear and anticipation.

“Tell me of this Elaine, my Godson.”

I swallowed thickly. My eyes dipped, tracking the low neckline of Lea’s dress and the firm, milky pale curves of her breasts. Lower, her dress pooled along my bare legs, leaving her calves exposed. I tore my gaze away and found her amber eyes, with their gorgeous and alien cat-slitted pupils intent on mine. The corner of her mouth turned up, baring a gently pointed canine, and she began to slowly raise the silken fabric.

She gave me a pointed look and I cleared my throat so my voice wouldn’t come out as a squeak.

“Elaine. She’s… Justin adopted her like he did with me. She’s my age.”

“Your sister?”

I made a face. “Adopted. Gross.”

“Ah… Mortals.” She laughed and it was rich and warm, like the blood pumping out of a wound. “Have you courted her?”

I winced. “No. I don’t want to ruin things.”

“Cowardice, then.” She made a disappointed, tsking sound. “A pity. I had expected a great deal more from the son of Margaret Lafey.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “You knew my mother?”

“A great many of my folk knew your mother.” She stroked my cheek and I choked down a soft sound as her cool, velvety soft fingers traced the soft fuzz of beard a few days without shaving had left there. “Some day, I may tell you of her… for a price. Tonight, I have duties to see to.”

She moved forward a few inches along my lap and took my hands in hers, settling them on her hips.

“Oh,” I said. “Alright.”

“Pray, tell. What do you know of women, Harry?”

She shifted forward another few inches and I could feel nothing but bare skin underneath the dress. Was she naked, beneath that fabric? Would she murder me if I tried to find out?

I realised she was watching me, expectantly, and that she’d asked a question that I’d effectively ignored.

“Uh. Be gentle?”

She stared at me for a long while. Maybe she was hoping for another answer, but I honestly didn’t know what to say.

“Stars…” 

Lea leaned in and I froze in sheer panic. Was she about to kiss me? Should I kiss her back? Should I kiss her back with tongue? Should I start without tongue, then add it? If so, when? Cool lips brushed my cheek, my jaw, down my throat, soft brushing caresses. Then she bit down and the sweet sting of it made me moan before I could choke the sound down. My hands tightened on her hips and before I’d even realised what I was doing I was pulling her down against me. Worse yet, I bucked my hips up against hers.

Lea laughed throatily against my neck and pulled back to within an inch or two from my face. Our eyes stayed locked and her sweet, cool breath tickled against my lips, filling my nose with the scent of herbs and copper.

“Knowledge is power,” she said quietly. “You may think yourself aware of this fact, but you are not. It is not only true for magic you may learn. Know yourself. Learn what people desire the most. Give it to them, or deny it. This is power.”

I thought I knew what she meant. Probably. Hopefully.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“What do you want to do?”

She was so close to me, hauntingly beautiful, and she felt so good. I wanted to run. I wanted to stay. I wanted to ravage her and to worship her.

“I want to touch you,” I said, voice low and rough.

“And why have you not?”

I frowned.“Because you haven’t told me I can.”

“How do you imagine one might learn?”

“May I touch you?”

The Leanansidhe smiled and did something she’d rarely ever done. She gave me a straight answer. “Yes.”

I kissed her. I was too far gone to think, too far gone to worry about how little I knew. My hands dipped underneath her dress and up along her long, smooth legs, more silken than the genuine silk she wore. Lea met the kiss with a low, throaty chuckle, teasingly drawing away only to deepen it once more. I cupped her ass in my hands, marvelling at the firm, round curves, digging my fingers in and pressing her down against my crotch.

Lea followed along with the motion, sinuously grinding herself against my shorts, and I could feel the wet, pliable heat of her where her sex pressed against mine. A thin slip of fabric, nothing more, between myself and her. I could just pull my shorts down and be inside of her in a second. 

Pressure was building into a cloying, mindless heat that drove all reasoning thoughts right out of my head. There was a rushing sound in my ears, almost like the crash of waves on the shores. Lea’s perfume filled my nose, strong and heady. Her red, red lips parted and she moaned softly as she rocked forward.

I cried out as I came, a sudden, broken sound. I abandoned the kiss and pressed my burning face to Lea’s neck, wrapping my arms around her and grinding up against her as the orgasm crested and slowly faded into a sweaty, sticky and fairly embarrassing aftermath.

Lea didn’t stop. She kept on rocking her hips against me and I was too dazed to do anything about it. Soon, though, the pleasure grew more and more tinged with discomfort, and I tightened my fingers on her hips.

“Stop,” I croaked.

She looked down at me, tilting her head to the side. “Whyever should I?”

I opened my mouth to explain why, but stopped myself. I’d finished. It hurt. But why on earth would she give a shit about either of those things? I didn’t know a lot about the Fae, but I knew enough.

I cleared my throat. “Let me take care of you… Let me balance the scales.”

Lea laughed and it was disconcerting in how warm and human it sounded. “Tell me, child. How would you do this?”

I was still resting my hands on her hips underneath her dress. So I lifted her off my lap… I guess I should say, I tried to lift her off my lap. The problem was that though I’d grown a lot taller the last few years, to the point where I was a little taller than Lea, I hadn’t really had time to grow any broader.

Lifting a six foot tall woman with more muscle than most off my lap with absolutely crap leverage proved to be harder than I’d hoped. I strained, shifted my angle a little, and managed to get her off me and onto the ground, and committed myself to start working out immediately.

Seemingly content to see what I was going to do, Lea allowed me to set her to the ground, and to then get up and guide her back to the smooth rock I’d been sitting on. I stretched and my back made a satisfying cracking sound. Then settled in the dirt at the Sidhe lady’s feet.

I hadn’t ever done this before. I barely knew how to do it, but I’d already embarrassed myself once. It couldn’t get much worse. Hell, odds were good this was all some kind of weird fever dream and that I was about to wake up with nothing to show for it but ruined underwear.

My hands trembled with the rush of adrenaline as I reverently pushed the Leanansidhe’s dress up her primly crossed legs, above her knees, along her thighs and finally to her hips. I looked up at her then, heart pounding in my ears, and her eyes gleamed in the firelight as she uncrossed her legs and slowly spread them for me.

I faltered for a moment as a shudder of arousal pulsed through me and I felt myself get hard again, somehow. I’d never really seen a woman naked before, beyond glimpses here and there, and a magazine some of the guys at school had passed around. None of that compared.

I stared at Lea. Her pale thighs, the dusting of scarlett hair above her sex, and the smooth, unblemished flesh of her- 

I shuddered, set my sweaty, shaking hands above her knees and moved in. Lea’s lovely, long fingers drew up along my shoulders, my neck and settled in my hair to encourage me forward. That’s when I panicked, I think. I mean, yeah, I knew in the crudest, most basic way more or less what I was supposed to do, but now that I was about to do it that felt woefully inadequate.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why wasn’t there a damn textbook on this stuff?

I kissed Lea’s thigh, then the other, edging closer slowly to buy myself some time. Lea made a pleased sound at the back of her throat and dragged her long nails through the hair at the nape of my neck. The scent of her heady and overwhelming and my mouth watered. I stopped thinking and focused on doing what I desperately wanted.

I tasted her.

A single, long swipe of my tongue along her sex.

Lea made a low, purring sound at the back of her throat and I felt myself throb in response to that sound. I needed more of it. So I did it again. And again. I wasn’t in a hurry. I felt as though if the faerie wanted me between her thighs all night, I’d stay there.

I noted how Lea’s muscles began to tense ever so slightly at a certain place and I focused there, delving deeper with my tongue. She moaned softly and I couldn’t help myself. I reached down and stroked myself through the fabric of my shorts.

Lea guided me through it, fingers tightening in my hair, nudging me this way and that, until she had me right where she wanted me.

I could see her thighs trembling, her legs tensing. Her breath was growing thready above, her moans more frequent. She was getting close. I was getting her close. I was going to make her come. I was only barely stroking myself and the thought alone still nearly sent me over the edge.

Then Lea went stiff, her thighs pressed in hard from either side, and she let out a low, ragged cry. Her hips bucked against my tongue and I groaned against her sex as I came again, pulsing with each wave of my release.

Slowly, Lea relaxed and after a moment’s hesitation I began to lap at her sex once more. She shivered violently, fingers digging into my scalp, and I eased up the pressure a little.

“Again?” She asked.

I pulled away just far enough to look up at her. “You didn’t tell me to stop.”

She chuckled, low and warm as the embers of the fire behind me. “It would seem that despite your master’s woeful inadequacy, there is hope for you yet.”

I pressed my tongue to the spot she liked, applying a firm, steady pressure with each movement of my tongue, and slowly began to work a finger inside of her.

Lea’s hips shifted against my finger, guiding it inside her all the way to the knuckle. She rolled her hips forward, all but riding it and my tongue, using both to chase her release, and I struggled to keep up.

“Such a talented boy,” she murmured, and it was equal parts disturbingly maternal, equal parts desperately arousing. “More.”

I didn’t know what ‘more’ meant and it wasn’t as though I was about to stop what I was doing to ask. I added another finger and she groaned as it slipped deep inside of her slick heat. It seemed like I’d done what she wanted, like I was doing something right, because above me, Lea was panting and moaning. Her breasts heaved with breaths and a gentle flush had spread across her milky pale skin, peeking out above her cleavage. I could see the tips of her breasts standing out taut against the fabric of her dress and regretted bitterly that I hadn’t asked her to take it off.

I wasn’t sure how long the first time had taken, and I wasn’t sure about the second, either. More than a few minutes, less than an hour. I didn’t really care. All I knew was that this time, things built up faster, and soon Lea was getting close again.

She moaned out loud, unrestrained, unrepentant, shameless as she took her pleasure. She fell back against the rock, back arching gorgeously, legs coming to rest atop my shoulder and curling behind me to keep me in place. I watched the tremors run along her body like shocks of electricity, noted how each lazy swipe of my tongue drew little aftershocks and whimpers, and dragged out Lea’s climax as long as I could.

I paused for a moment as it passed. She didn’t tell me to stop. So I didn’t stop. Though my jaw ached and my tongue felt numb, I was drunk on the scent of her, the taste of her, and I wouldn’t stop. I was hard again and I honestly hadn’t thought it possible and hurt so damn good that I barely dared touch myself. Any stimulation beyond the press of my cock against the soaked through fabric of my shorts and underwear seemed like it might just push that balance towards agony.

I began to pump my fingers inside of her, carefully at first, before realising she didn’t really want gentle or careful. I imagined her underneath me, deep red hair scattered across starched white sheets, or a canopy of autumn leaves as I thrust inside of her, driving more of those ragged moans out of her.

She almost bucked me off when I touched my tongue firmly to her clit as I had before, and I eased off before she broke my nose, taking her fast and hard with my fingers while keeping the motions of the very tip of my tongue light and careful.

Lea gasped for air, but it never quite seemed to be enough. Her hair fell wildly across her face as she hunched forward, grabbing on to my shoulders to keep her balance. The ragged intakes of breaths grew to a desperate staccato and with a long, tortured cry she stiffened before succumbing to slow, violent shudders. I tried to tease her through it as I had before, but she pressed a hand to my forehead and pushed me back.

I waited for the orgasm to pass and when she’d stopped clenching on my fingers I slowly drew them back out her. That did draw a last, feeble shiver and a soft sound. I rested my cheek on Lea’s thigh and only then did I truly become aware of my surroundings. How it’d grown dark, and how it was getting cold. How hard the ground beneath my by now bloodied knees was. There were about a dozen other pains and discomforts, my jaw foremost among them. I didn’t care in the slightest about any of it.

I licked my lips and felt the arousal pulse through my entire body at the taste of her.

Hell’s bells.

Lea slipped off the rock in thoughtlessly graceful, liquid motion, and settled astride my lap. I could feel her every breath as her breasts pressed against my chest. She smiled wickedly down at me, considering me for a moment. Then she kissed me, heedless of her arousal smeared all over my chin and mouth, and it was a languid, tender kiss.

We parted and Lea stroked sweat-sodden dark hair away from my forehead. “I believe I will keep you for myself.”


	2. Chapter 2

Over the years I’d lived with, trained under, and worked with Lea, she’d set me all sorts of tasks. I’d stolen her priceless jewellery, ancient artifacts, and weapons likely to push even the most hardcore second amendment supporter to the point of suggesting ‘maybe that is a bit excessive’.

The first person I “stole” was almost an anticlimax with how simple it turned out to be. At first, anyway.

I’d set up a fair distance from her cute little suburban home with the intention of doing things right. So I got myself a van - cliché, I know, but there’s a good reason weirdos and serial killers, and also wizards, use vans - they’re just so damn convenient. I began scouting out the place and the target, her habits, etcetera. Then, the very first night, she’d gone on a late shopping trip and it’d just been too good an opportunity to waste.

That’s when I hit the first wrinkle. Or, I guess I should say, when she, being the first wrinkle in this metaphor, hit me. I hadn’t expected a catholic housewife to be trained in hand-to-hand combat, and I’d damn well expected wrong. Her elbow took me in the stomach and I lost the grasp of my spell. The second was aimed straight for my trachea and I only barely managed to get out of the way in time. For the third, I’d recovered, and some of the training Lea and all her nasty, cruel friends had put me through kicked in. I caught her wrist and spun her around, pressing her back against the van, and as she kicked and struggled, pressed my thumb to her forehead. I whispered a single word and she slumped bonelessly into my arms.

Mind magic was incredibly useful, but it was also pushing the boundaries of the Laws of Magic. This spell was within the lighter gray area, but believe you me that the wardens would lose their shit if they saw me do it. It was still better than the alternatives. I don’t care what you’ve seen in the movies, knocking someone out with chloroform takes minutes, not seconds, and choking someone out might cause all sorts of damage. I’d take the gray area of mind magic and the angry scowls of the wardens any day over that.

I took one last look around the general vicinity to make sure nobody had seen me. A few moments passed without any raised voices or movement in the darkness. With that, I carried Charity Carpenter into the back seat of the van, bound her up, and drove away at a sedate pace.

A while later, I pulled to the abandoned, boarded up factory space I’d decided to use as my lair. I carried the softly snoring Charity, thankful for a commitment I’d made a few years ago, because she was almost as tall as Lea and not as slender. I set her down on a mattress I’d bought for the purpose and undid her bonds. She didn’t stir through any of that.

Satisfied, I inscribed a rough circle in the floor with a stick of chalk and settled in the middle of it. I wasn’t about to summon Satan or anything, don’t you worry. That’s not a thing. Well, not usually. Satan exists and all that, but it’s usually not the goth kids who manage to call him up for a chat. I was about to contact someone almost as devious, far more tempting, and hell of a lot prettier.

“Leanansidhe,” I whispered, words infused with power.

No matter what you’ve heard Tolkien say about us wizards, I’m not much for subtle workings. I’ve spent enough time with the Fae to learn some tricks, though, like the sleep spell and the one I was currently using… oh, and a few others to amuse Lea.

I felt the connection snap into place almost immediately and a throaty, feminine voice whispered into my ear. Or rather, it felt as though she was, up to the inclusion of her hot breath tickling my ear and her body behind mine, soft breasts pressed to my back. In reality, though, I’d linked up our minds and that was where the communication was happening.

“How fares your quest, my beloved Godson?” Lea purred.

“I’ve told you to stop calling me that,” I muttered. “It was always weird, but it’s hell of a lot weirder now… everything considered.”

She laughed. “Very well, my sweetling. Tell me about your progress.”

Well… Not perfect, but it’d have to do for now. “It’s done. I have her.”

“So swiftly?” Lea asked. “Most impressive. I am well pleased with you.”

The words carried a promise and I shuddered in anticipation. Even through the spell, the voice of my message came out sounding rough. “That’s good.”

“Indeed. I shall leave our demand with the husband.”

“Alright. Let me know when he says yes.”

“I shall, sweetling.”

The link was severed. I sat there for a moment, willing myself to calm down. Even after years with Lea, I hadn’t gotten used to the sheer intensity of her sensuality. I didn’t expect I ever would.

I looked over to my prisoner. She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. Her blonde hair was somewhere between honey and wheat, her face without much in the way of lines. She wore simple clothes: Jeans and a baggy jumper, neither of which fully concealed some rather generous and appealing curves that I felt weird for noticing when she wasn’t awake. She did look a lot less intimidating, at least, when she wasn’t setting to punch my lights out.

I sighed. Nothing could last forever, and keeping people under sleep spells for too long generally wasn’t a good idea, so I put my thumb to her forehead and took a step back. Then, remembering her right hook, I took another step back. She stirred slowly at first, blinking her eyes open, taking a slow breath through her nose. Then she moved - fast. She rolled off the mattress and came to her feet in a low crouch, brows furrowed as she fought to focus a pair of startling blue eyes at me. She wobbled for a moment, and then steadied.

“Mrs Carpenter,” I said, and took another step back, hands held up to show my empty palms. As much for her peace of mind as my own. “Good evening.”

“Where am I?”

Her eyes darted around the place, taking in the high windows and the boarded up doors and I had to admit, she was doing one hell of a job hiding her panic.

“Somewhere safe. A warehouse where nobody’s going to be bothering us. I realise this is sounding like some kinda messed up serial killer speech, but I want you to know I have no intention of hurting you.”

She eyed me. “Really?”

The words dripped with sarcasm. I pushed on as if I hadn’t noticed. “Yeah. Your husband has something we want. Now we have something he wants. We’re going to sit here and wait and then we’ll trade. No harm, no foul. Uh - Except for the kidnapping part. Sorry about that.”

The glare she sent my way would’ve sent me running for cover once upon a time, but ever since I’d met Lea, my perspective of frightening had changed significantly.

“What makes you think I’m going to cooperate with that plan?” She asked.

“The place is boarded up. You’re not getting out. Also, because I’m a freaking wizard and I’m telling you so.”

She gave me a good look for the first time. Not an appreciative look, but one that assessed me as a threat. Her eyes lingered on the blasting rod at my hip, the coat I wore and that Lea had taught me to enchant to be bulletproof, and the pentacle amulet at my throat. I got the feeling she’d seen gear like mine before.

For a second or so, she weighed the decision of trying to take me on. Then she sighed and relaxed. “How old are you?”

I winced and felt an awful lot like the last time I’d tried to buy alcohol with my fake ID. This time, I didn’t bother with any lies. “19.”

She shook her head. “Jesus Christ. How did you get mixed up in this? My husband could help you, if you want it.”

I smiled. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not some confused little lackey who doesn’t know any better.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re dealing with?”

“Pretty sure I’m dealing with Charity Carpenter, wife of Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Sword. Ammorachius, right?”

She stared at me and she looked a little bit scared now. I winced. Shit.

“Sorry. I just want us to be clear. You can try to run, but I won’t let you. I don’t want to have to stop you, but I will.”

“Fine,” she said, and smiled at me. It was warm and almost friendly. Apparently my diplomacy wasn’t that rusty.

“Are you hungry? I’ve got some water and-”

The moment I looked off to the side to see where I’d put the granola bars, Charity tried to kick me in the balls. She had the element of surprise and she’d used it savagely, but I hadn’t managed to survive years with the fae without a good reason. I didn’t manage to get a way, but I did manage to move enough that she got me in the thigh instead. Which sucked, but not as much as the alternative.

Charity took off for the door and I hobbled after her, swearing under my breath as I moved. She got there first and yanked at the handle… to no avail, since I’d bolted the door shut from outside and chained it up from the inside.

She snarled, whipped around, but this time she was the one who wasn’t fast enough. She let out a wheezing cough as I flattened her to the nearby wall, but recovered quickly and slammed a fist into my gut. I fought down the nausea trying to rise up my throat and caught her next blow. She twisted and kicked, but I was considerably stronger, and where we were that was what counted the most. I pulled her arms up behind her back and pressed her face-first against the wall, settling my full weight against her and trapping her between myself and the corrugated steel.

We strained against one another for a while, breaths ragged, but I had all the leverage, and she wasn’t getting anywhere. I focused on making sure she didn’t hurt herself or something. She didn’t give up lightly, despite everything, and I began to grow increasingly and uncomfortably aware of how her ass was pressed right up against my crotch. My nostrils were full of the scent of her. Some citrus-y shampoo, deodorant and sweat. Lea had always loved these kinds of games, and I’ll blame her for how our struggle suddenly turned into something else, and for how I felt myself grow hard.

“Stop it,” I hissed under my breath, as her wiggling pressed her firm rear against the front of my jeans, dragging along the length of my cock.

“Why?” She snarled back.

She could damn well feel why and we both knew it.

“Because you’re not going to get anywhere. You’re only going to hurt yourself, or me, I’d kinda prefer it if we avoided both.”

She pressed back against me again and I groaned against her neck, losing my focus for a moment and squeezing her against me and shifting my hips ever so slightly against hers. Charity made a sound I couldn’t identify and I felt a shiver run down her spine. She stopped fighting and, slowly, began to relax.

“Are you done?” I asked.

Part of me almost wished the answer was no.

“Yes,” she said, and her voice came out strained. Too strained for the little scuffle we’d just had? Maybe. I didn’t want to speculate. “Are you?”

I grinned. “You’ve got a wicked right hook, I’ll give you that.”

She bared her teeth in something that didn’t quite qualify as a smile. I found myself liking her. She was hell of a lot more trouble than I’d hoped for, but that was at least keeping things interesting. Besides, I could admire a fighter. I knew she was waiting for her moment to strike again. I just had to be ready for her when that came.

As we returned to the little nest I’d built and stepped into proper lighting, Charity’s eyes darted down to the crotch of my jeans. I was still uncomfortably hard. She raised an eyebrow. I shrugged.

“Can you blame me?”

“Yes.”

I snorted. “Fair enough. Not like I wanted it to happen”

“Of course not.”

“I did tell you to stop.”

I grabbed the water and the granola bars, pointedly watching her all the while, and handed her one of each. She hesitated.

“If I wanted to poison you, I could’ve done it when you were asleep. Eat. I don’t want to be a bad host.”

“You talk like them,” she noted.

“Hm?”

“The Faeries. You talk like you were one of them.”

I shrugged. “I grew up with them, some of the time. I guess it rubbed off.”

I bit into my bar, imagining it was a donut. It wasn’t. It was dry, and healthy, and gross. I ate it anyway and washed it down with a gulp of water. Charity watched me for a while, then she ate her own food and drank her own water. I let the conversation fade away into nothing and it was a long time before Charity spoke up again.

“Will your allies hurt my husband?”

“No,” I said, without hesitating. “Pretty sure she couldn’t, even if she was allowed, which she isn’t.”

She nodded. “Why go to all this trouble?”

I shrugged. “Didn’t ask. Something your husband has that she wanted. Or maybe this is just another practise thing. I wouldn’t put it past Lea.”

Another bout of silence followed. I offered Charity another granola bar and she took it along with the rest of her water.

There was a little tingle along the back of my neck as a touch of foreign magic brushed up against me. Lea.

“Give me a second,” I said, and walked up to the circle and sat down. “Work call. I have to take this.”

“I’m here, Lea.”

Her presence enveloping me didn’t help the situation from before. I was still a bit keyed up and as her velvet voice filled my ear, I felt myself respond helplessly. One day. One day, I’d learn self-control.

“Harry,” she said. “How is our guest?”

“Feisty,” I responded. “But it’s kept things interesting. How’s the exchange coming along?”

“According to plan. The Knight is awaiting delivery of the coin.”

“Anything else?”

“Jennifer asks for you.”

I smiled. “Tell her I’ll be there soon.”

“Very well.”

The connection was just breaking when Charity moved. My hand shot out for my blasting rod and I pointed it at her, but I couldn’t get my head clear of the spell in time and it clattered to the floor. She got a shot in that had my head buzzing before I got my arms in the way. She grabbed my rod from off the floor and swung it back like she intended to break bone once it came down on my arm. I never let her build momentum, pushing forward while she was still on her backswing, and throwing her off me. She fell back onto the mattress and I followed, pinning the wrist holding the rod and flattening her to the ground with my weight atop her.

“Hell’s bells, Charity,” I snapped. “Will you give it a fucking rest?”

She tried to hit me with her free hand, but there just wasn’t enough space for her to get much of a hit in before I’d pushed that hand up above her head, too. I stared down at her as she struggled against me, risking a glance at her gorgeous, defiant, blue eyes.

She bucked her hips up against mine, trying to throw me off, and I groaned as my cock pressed against her thigh. 

“You are enjoying this,” she accused, and tried again.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “Obviously. So would you stop that?”

“No,” she hissed. “I will not.”

She moved again, and this time I repositioned myself so that when her hips rose off the mattress and up against me, I pressed up squarely between her thighs. Her eyes shot wide open and she let out a breathy groan.

“You’re the one who started this crap,” I said, and because I was feeling a little bit vindictive, I pressed down against her once before giving her just a fraction of an inch of space. I’ll admit, her reaction took me by surprise. She shivered and bit down on her bottom lip, but not before something I would swear was a whimper slipped past her lips.

“You grabbed me off the street,” she said.

“Sure, but all you had to do was sit tight and wait. Maybe you’re the one who’s enjoying this, huh?”

As far as comebacks went, it was pretty weak. Especially when taking my considerable wit and flair into account. Charity surprised me again by staying silent and still and avoiding looking anywhere near my face.

“Charity?” I asked, a little softer.

“It’s Mrs Carpenter,” she snapped.

“Mrs Carpenter,” I amended, but I did add just a touch of dirty emphasis to the words. “Are you enjoying this?”

No answer. I could check. It wouldn’t exactly be difficult. It would be on the side of fucked up, under the circumstances, though. I wanted to know, needed to know, but not like that. So I leaned in close to her ear.

“Is it being pinned like this… or is it hitting me that gets you wet?”

She made a low, strangled noise at the back of her throat, and despite the fact that we hadn’t been struggling for a while now, her breathing was picking up. On a whim I let go of her left arm and it damn near immediately whipped out and smacked me open-palmed across the face. It stung, but not that badly, and the sudden glint in Charity’s eyes answered my question. Option B.

“I guess your husband’s not into you hitting him, huh?”

She hit me again, harder. “Unlike you, he doesn’t deserve to get struck.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it,” I drawled in my best, smokiest Clint Eastwood impression.

I leaned down and rested my stinging cheek against hers, feeling the fever-hot skin on mine. The touch tingled with something a little beyond excitement, almost like the tiniest jolt of electricity. “Well… I certainly deserve it and I think you know I can take it.”

“You most certainly do,” she said, almost as if trying to convince herself of the fact.

“So… what’s stopping you?”

She stared up at me for a moment and I shifted off her a little, settling astride her hips and giving her enough room to move a little.

“You want me to hit you?” She asked. She sounded mildly disgusted.

“No. You want to hit me. I’m willing to let you.”

She was breathing hard now, dark pupils widening out across the blue, and I saw her fingers twitch. All she needed was a little bit of a nudge.

“Tell me to stop,” I told her. “I’ll stop.”

Then I lay my hand on her hips and began to move. I dipped my fingers underneath her jumper and pushed the t-shirt under that aside too, trailing her hipbone with my thumb for a moment, before travelling upwards. I didn’t hurry, but I didn’t really take my time as I sometimes might, either. Up over the gentle curve of her belly I went, drawing the rough pads of my fingers in a circle around her navel and drawing a snort of a sound that must’ve been a surprised giggle. Then I drew my nails along her ribs, up along one, down the next, and she shivered. My questing fingers brushed up against the fabric of her bra, plain cotton, and I only hesitated for a moment before devling beneath it, too, to cup her hot, perky mound of her breast in my hand. Before she slapped me, I idly noted the rigid tip of her nipple and how it pressed against my palm. The smack echoed through the empty warehouse and I paused, watching her and waiting. She said nothing and glared up at me. I took my other hand and pushed her jumper and shirt up, bunching them above the curves of her breasts, and then pushed aside her sport’s bra.

It was my first time with a human woman and I took a moment to indulge in looking at her laid out beneath me, face flushed, hair spread out across the pillow, staring furiously up at me. I took in the sight of her large, firm breasts and the pebbled peaks of her nipples. Charity might have lacked gravity-defying, eternal beauty of the Sidhe, but so did every single other human woman on the planet. She was beautiful and willing, and I’d never really been in a position like this before. I squeezed each breast, gently at first, and then more roughly at her mocking glare. She drew a sharp breath, then hit me again.

“Are you wet for me, Mrs Carpenter?” I asked again.

“No.”

“I’m going to see for myself, I think. Do you want me to?”

She hit me again. I twisted her nipple and she made a choked down sound, hips shifting as if about to arch up against mine before she thought better of it. I let one hand descend slowly along her stomach, undid the button at the top of her jeans, and eased my hand down underneath her underwear. Charity hit me twice more, as I drew a path along neat curls of hair, and finally found her hot and soaked for me.

“Figured as much,” I said, keeping my touch light and teasing. “How long have you been like this?”

“Go to hell.”

I ignored her and gently brushed my finger along the stiff outline of her clit. “How long, Mrs Carpenter?”

She bit down on a moan, tried to hit me, and missed. I considered teasing her, making her tell me, but why bother? I’d already won. I eased a finger inside her and it was nearly comical how easy it was. I began to move and Charity moved with me, hips rolling against my finger. I felt a low throbbing pulse of arousal as I pictured ripping her pants down and replacing her finger with something more substantial. Too much, too fast, though. This was more than enough, and a lot more fun than the sullen glares.

I watched as the flush climbed up Charity’s chest, as she angled her hips up against my fingers and fucked herself on my fingers as much as I was fucking her. Which, I’ll admit, was pretty hot.

“I take it catholic sex is boring?”

Her eyes shot open for a moment and she levelled her icy gaze at me, but it didn’t last. ‘

“No,” she said. “It’s not.”

“So does he know you like hitting people?”

She directed a glare at me that’d rival the Death Star’s lasers and then she slugged me. Not hard, it wasn’t really possible from where she lay on her back, but I sure as hell felt it.

“No. He’s a good man. Unlike you.” It stung a little, but I guess it was fair. I added my thumb to the occasion, smearing her slickness in circles over her clit as well as I could with the motion of her hips.

“Maybe you should ask,” I suggested. “You might be surprised.”

Wizard, kidnapper, marriage counsellor. I’m a man of many talents.

“Stop talking,” she snarled.

I did. I focused on what I was doing instead, adding a second finger and driving it deep inside of her with each thrust. Charity’s breath stuttered and caught. Her body tensed, muscles standing out against her skin. She didn’t allow herself to cry out or moan, biting down hard on her bottom lip and managing to stifle the sound into a soft, broken little sound as she pushed my fingers deep inside her. Her eyes drifted shut as a sweet, agonized look passed over her features. Her back arched and she trembled and clenched on my fingers as her orgasm finally washed over her.

She relaxed slowly as it passed and lay there, eyes closed, as if something terrible would happen by the time she opened them. Then she did, saw me, and I realised I was the terrible thing that would happen. That and reality, I guess.

“Get off me,” she rasped.

There was a joke there, somewhere, but I decided against it. I wiped my fingers on the mattress and watched as she dragged herself a pace or so back, still shaking.

“Did you enjoy that?” I asked.

“What do you think?”

“That I’d like to hear you say it.”

She gritted her teeth. “Yes. I liked it. Is that what you wanted?”

“That and some other things,” I said, and shrugged.

She eyed me, lingering where my erection pushed against the fabric of my jeans. Then she licked her lips. I shuddered.

“Other things,” she repeated and the disdain just made it sexier somehow. “I suppose you would be the type.”

Probably a weird thing to get off on, but I try not to overanalyze.

Charity approached me slowly and looked up at me as she stroked my length through the pants. “Something like this?” She asked.

“It’s a start,” I managed.

She kept her eyes on me as she stroked me and I found myself drawn in, enjoying the firm, confident touch. I had a feeling Charity was about to try to get away again, and so I gave her the opening she was looking for. I closed my eyes and Listened. I might not see Charity make her move, but I did hear it. I heard her draw a sharp breath, I heard the rustle of fabric as she pulled her arm back, and I heard the displaced air as she drove her fist forward.

The hit missed by what felt like a mile. I’d stepped away ahead of time, but I was pretty damn sure she’d pulled her punch, too. I opened my eyes again and smiled. Charity’s mouth turned up into a similar expression… and then she ran for it. I let her. I’d prepared this spot and the area she was going was a dead end. Offices, then bathrooms. I collected my blasting rod and followed.

I stepped in through the door to the office and Charity went for me. I caught the blow on my shield and met her head on, maneuvering her backwards step by step until her back hit the wall. Then I stepped in close, worming my thigh in between hers. It was only then that I really had time to think about what I’d just seen. Charity had hit me, but she hadn’t done it physically. I added clues up. The tingling sensation from when I’d first touched her bare skin and now this. She’d used magic.

“You used magic on me.”

She looked unrepentant. “Did you expect me to simply let you have your way?”

I hadn’t. I’d hoped for her to play hardball. “No.”

I gave my thigh a nudge forward and she huffed out a breath, spreading her legs and pressing herself forward against me. I kissed her and she met the kiss with an outrage and a desperate hunger that left my lips tingling for more reasons than the brush of her aura against mine.

“You’re not a wizard,” I noted. “You’re not some minor talent, either… I barely felt it at first, though.”

“Then we have something in common,” she snapped.

I rolled my eyes at her. “A dick joke? Seriously?”

She glared back, licking her lips and I couldn’t resist kissing her again. I came away from that kiss bruised, lips stinging from her teeth, but with the taste of her on my tongue.

“When was the last time you used your magic?” I asked.

She was still rocking slowly against me and for a while I didn’t think she’d answer.

“Years ago.”

I waited for her to tell me more, but she didn’t. I wondered if Lea had known.

“If we had more time, I’d show you a thing or two,” I muttered.

She gave me a look that conveyed it had sounded about as stupid as I’d thought it did. “As if you could.”

Well… That sounded an awful lot like a challenge. I watched Charity stand there for a while, rolling her hips against my thigh without any semblance of shame. When I was pretty sure she wasn’t about to change her mind or stop I poured my will into my blasting rod at a gentle trickle, and whispered. “Forzare.”

The rod began to buzz and vibrate.

“Neat, huh?” I said. “Figured that one out maybe a year ago. Lea loves it.”

I lowered it between us and worked it in along my thigh and in between hers. Charity made a low, strangled sound against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me.

“Do you like it, Mrs Carpenter?” 

I added just a touch more power to the spell and the vibrations intensified. I felt her shudder. Her fingers dug into my shoulders and she bit down on my shoulder.

“Damn it,” she snapped. “Yes.”

I chuckled and held her as she rode my leg and my blasting rod towards a second climax. It didn’t take long.

“That’s it,” I said, half coaxing half goading. “Let go. Come for me.”

She shook her head as if to say she wasn’t going to, but if that's what she meant, it was a lie. Her fingers tightened painfully on me and she cried out ,voice muffled against my shirt as she toppled over the edge. I killed the spell immediately, but kept the rod in place and let her slowly come down from the high, chasing the last shivers of aftershock by rubbing herself against its length.

I caressed her cheek and stroked her hair as Lea once had with me as Charity came down from her orgasm, enjoying the heated skin and the vulnerability of the embrace. Which was nice, but the feel of her breasts against my chest, the smell of her, the warmth all conspired against me and kept me from enjoying it. It reminded me of how hard I was, how I ached, and how I had a perfectly willing woman right here in my arms.

“Go to the desk,” I told her. “And bend over it.”

She blinked and looked at me. “And if I refuse?”

I smiled a little. “Tell me no. We’ll go back and wait.”

“But if I refuse?”

I caught on. “Maybe I’ll make you.”

“Try.”

She struggled against me, but it was mostly for show, and I managed to lift her off her feet and over to the desk in the center of the room. I’d cleared the entire place with a few wind spells a few days ago and the place was a mess, but at least it wasn’t covered by a thick layer of dust anymore. I pushed Charity over the desk and set my hand flat between her shoulder blades.

Then I dug my fingers into the waistband of her jeans and pulled them down her long legs. Because I had her standing there, unable to move, I took a few moments to enjoy the sight of her curvaceous ass.

“What’re you waiting for?” she asked, struggling for a moment against my hand, and subsiding once she realised it didn’t get her anywhere.

“Maybe I just want to enjoy the view. Maybe I’m waiting for you to ask nicely.”  
She let out a scornful laugh. “You expect me to ask?”

I gave her ass a light swat. Nice and firm. Charity drew a sharp breath and I made a mental note to explore that particular venue some other time.

“I’d make you ask,” I told her as I unbuttoned my own jeans and pulled them down. “But I don’t think we have time for that.”

If we’d had time, I would’ve used the blasting rod on her and taken her to the edge. I would’ve let her dangle on that precipe and not get past it until she begged. I imagined it would take a while and I imagined I’d enjoy every last moment of it. I pulled my jeans down and moved in close, positioning myself and teasing the my tip against her sex.

I drew a deep breath, steadying myself. Then I slowly eased myself inside of her. Charity remained resolutely silent as I filled her, as the gorgeous, searing heat of her enveloped me, but I saw her clench both hands into fists until the knuckles went white, and I saw the goosebumps running up along the length of her back.

“My husband,” she said through gritted teeth. “Is bigger than you.”

Let’s get one thing straight here and now. I know that stuff doesn’t matter. I’ve got nothing to worry about in that particular department. It’s stupid guy thing to worry about it at all… but yeah. I’ll be damned if the words didn’t get to me anyways.

I pushed deep inside of her, until I’d bottomed out, and then slowly eased back again.

“But he’s not the one inside of you right now,” I noted.

“Unfortunately not.”

I grinned. She had, as they would’ve once said, plenty of moxie. I waited until I was almost slipping free of her, until she made a low sound of complaint at the back of her throat, and then slipped inside of her once more.

“I thought you were in a hurry,” Charity noted. “Or is that the issue… you’re worried you’ll be in too much of a hurry?”

I might have worried a little bit, but not much. It happened to everyone once in a while.

“Lea has some very strict policies on ladies first,” I said. “I learned that pretty quickly.”

I began to pick up speed, both to show her I could, and because she was right. Lea might arrive any moment to pick us both up, and as much as I enjoyed her games, they could traipse into the territory of cruelty. I’m not going to say I didn’t dig the idea of Lea straddling Charity’s face, taking her pleasure while I- Let’s just say there were all sorts of interesting things Lea might add to the party, but it might not be a great idea.

I bent forward over Charity, my hands dipping underneath her shirt to cup her breasts once more, giving her stiff nipples intermittent pinches between the rhythmic slap-slap-slap of my hips against her ass. Charity had been fighting a losing battle to stay quiet for a while now, and as I sped up even more, she began to moan aloud as I thrust inside of her. 

It was a hot, sticky, sweaty mess and I loved every second of it. I was feeling the limits of my endurance coming up when Charity finally began to buck against me, meeting each thrust and letting out a shuddering whimper when I filled her. I reached down between her thighs and her hand followed me there, her fingers resting atop mine as I stroked through her slick folds and across her swollen clit.

“What was that you were saying before?” I panted. “Because it sounds an awful lot like… you’re getting close.”

“Fuck you,” Charity moaned, and it sounded gloriously like surrender.

Her fingers pushed mine aside to feverishly touch herself and she let out a long groan as she came, gasping out words that were definitely derogatory, and very likely aimed at me. The muscles of her legs twitched and lost their strength and her head dropped to rest against the desk. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. I was right behind her and each thrust drove me closer, sent beautiful little trembling aftershocks through her body, left her moaning feebly. I grabbed her hips and held her still, finishing with several quick, hard thrusts. Charity shuddered as I came inside of her, and it looked hell of a lot like she might’ve come again.

I couldn’t be sure, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care just then. I lay down atop her, resting my cheek against her back for a little while, listening to her gasp for breath and enjoying the random little shivers that ran down her body.

For maybe a minute, we half stood, half lay there in silence. I entertained myself by drawing my thumb up and down along the length of her spine. I really didn’t feel like moving, leaving the heat and the scent of her. Hell, if we’d had time and Charity was still in the mood, I might have tried for a second round. But then a voice spoke from the shadows in one of the corners of the room.

“It would seem you have taken good care of our guest, Harry.”

“Easy,” I said and pressed a kiss between Charity’s shoulder blades.

Lea stepped forward with a wicked smile on her lips and despite my words, Charity struggled up to her feet, where I held her before she stumbled or did something unwise.

“It’s fine,” I told her, voice pitched low for no good reason since Lea would easily hear it. “She won’t hurt you.”

Charity didn’t seem especially convinced, but her options were a little limited with her pants at her ankles.

“Have you not seen one of the Sidhe before, child?” Lea asked as she rounded the desk.

Charity kept her lips pressed firmly together. Not a bad idea around the Sidhe.

“You can talk to her,” I said. “Just don’t accept any deals or trades.”

Lea pouted. “We are presently making a trade, Harry dear. What is one more in the grand scheme of things?”

Her eyes tracked up along the length of Charity’s lean, muscular legs, lingering between them with a little smirk for a moment, and continuing to take in her eyes.

“Beautiful,” she murmured. “Strong.”

She drew a long, elegant finger over Charity’s belly and she shivered, squirming back against me. Lea met her eyes again and some sort of weird recognition passed between them.

“Remember what we talked about, Lea,” I said, keeping my voice soft.

Lea stopped with her finger on the hem of Charity’s jumper and sighed.

“Certainly,” she said. “I do believe our guest would be amenable to the things we might do to her. Such fun we might have had, but alas, time presses. Jennifer awaits us with the husband.”

I stared. “You left her… with the guy whose wife we just kidnapped.”

Lea laughed merrily. “Do you expect he would hurt her?”

“Well, no. Of course not, but it’s still- I don’t know.”

“If you do not know, why waste your breath?”

I sighed. “I guess we should be getting ready, then.”

“If you give me your clothes I may clean them. Your husband needn’t find out about this tryst. I seem to recall you mortals are specific about such things.”

Charity hesitated, but she clearly didn’t like the options down the path where she told Lea to go to hell. So she stripped out of her clothes, with both Lea and I watching intently, and left them on the dusty floor.

“Enjoying yourselves?” She asked, voice acerbic.

I shrugged, watching her naked form without shame. “Well, duh. If you wanna do a little spin for us, I wouldn’t mind.”

Charity glared. “I’m going to wash up.”

She stomped out into the corridor and towards the bathrooms. Lea and I watched her ass while she went.

“Did you really need her to take her clothes off for the spell to work?”

“Certainly not,” Lea said with a wicked little smile. “But, as always, my way is a great deal more fun.”

I laughed fondly and wrapped my arm around her slender waist, pulling her to me. She kissed me softly.

“You taste of her,” she noted. “And you smell of her.”

“Yeah… Does it bother you?”

“Should it?”

“I don’t know.”

Lea kissed me again, long and indulgent, and we parted with a breathy sigh. Lea stroked a hand along the grain of my hair.

“You are mine, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Of that I have no doubt.”

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her flush to me, kissing her until she melted against me. We parted, gasping, to find Charity watching us.

“Come on,” I said. “The car’s waiting outside.”

Charity got dressed and we left together, driving through Chicago as the sun rose on the horizon until we came to a peaceful little street where I’d sat parked for a while. A tall man, almost as tall as me, and considerably broader, stood waiting outside the white picket fence of a lovely house. He had a kid at either side, both of them two years old or so. Both were adorable, because honestly, what two-year-olds aren’t? One was blonde like his wife and the other was paler, with a mess of red locks tumbling down her shoulders.

I stepped out of the car with Charity and we walked up to them, keeping a safe distance apart. I stopped maybe ten paces from Michael, because I did not want to get within arm’s reach, and Charity kept on walking. The red-haired girl ran towards me as quickly as her little legs could carry her and threw herself at me.

“Daddy!”

I lifted her up high and she squealed happily, leaning up against my chest as I held her.

“Have you had fun with Mr Carpenter?”

She nodded. “Molly let me have her doll. Where’s mommy?” The s sound came out with a lisp. Her teeth hadn’t all come in yet.

“In the car. I just need to talk to Mr Carpenter for a moment. Stay right here, okay?”

She looked over to the car, then pouted and sat down on the sidewalk, one foot carelessly splashing in a puddle.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye for a moment and then I walked up to Michael Carpenter. He was in his mid to late thirties and his dark hair and beard were kept short and neat. There was something paternal and intimidating about him and each damn step I took towards him I tried not to let on that I’d just fucked his wife. He took a few steps to meet me and Charity stayed behind. We stopped just outside of one another’s reach, but I was painfully aware of how bad my odds of getting a shield up in time were if he initiated violence here.

“You have honored your end of the deal. I will honor mine.”

He held out a book and I frowned as I realised it was a bible. There was a parcel stuck between the pages and I took the other end. He held on and he held my gaze until I chickened out and looked away.

“But... If you ever try something like this again, I will find you and I will ensure you never hurt anyone again..”

My stomach twisted with guilt. “I won’t. I didn’t hurt her. I wouldn’t- If I ever do hurt anyone I hope you’ll stop me.”

His expression softened a touch, but his voice was unyielding. “The creature you love is cruel and devious. The creature you bargained for is infinitely more so. Don’t touch it and keep it far away from the child.”

I nodded and he let go. I opened the bible and the parcel within as though it was a bomb. Inside, I found a tarnished silver coin. A sigil peaked out in a gleam of silver over the face of some long-dead emperor, and I very carefully closed the envelope again and put it back between the pages of the bible. My heart went into frickin’ overdrive as I realised what I was dealing with.

A silver denarius - an ancient coin containing the essence of a fallen angel.

I nodded to Michael, then to Charity and tried not to show just how rattled I was. “A pleasure doing business with you. Take care.”

I turned around, stuffing the bible into my duster’s pocket, and carrying Jennifer on my other hip.

“Success?” Lea asked as we settled back in the car.

“Yeah.” I handed over the envelope and kept the bible. “Why do we want this thing?”

“It is a treacherous thing and it is not for you, my sweet.”

“For trade, then.”

“It could be used for such a purpose,” Lea said, leaning back in her seat, pleased as pie. “Shall we celebrate at the King of Burgers?”


	3. Chapter 3

I found Charity dropping her kids off at pre-school, walking away from a nondescript van holding one kid’s hand in each of her own. The eldest looked like she was 4 or so, of an age with Jennifer, and the boy was, at most, two years old. They walked slowly into the building. I gave it a moment, then walked up to Charity’s van, leaning against its side and waiting. I didn’t want to surprise her any more than I had to. 

It took maybe a minute before Charity returned. She stepped out of the fenced off area around the yard, locked the gate carefully behind her, and came to a halt on the curb as she spotted me.

Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously and for a moment, I thought she might just turn on her heel, go inside, and call the police. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then she walked up to me like she intended to punch me in the face. She didn’t, which I was glad for, because she could pack one hell of a punch. Instead, she stopped just outside of easy grab range and glared at me.

“What do you want, wizard?”

I found myself smiling, feeling a weird rush of fondness as she scowled at me.

“Hi, Charity,” I said, throwing as much innocent cheer into the words as I could, and enjoying how irritated that seemed to get her. “I need a word with you. If you’ve got a moment to talk.”

“Why are you here?” Her hands balled into fists. “If this is about the children - if you hurt them, threaten them, anything, I swear-”

I raised my hands. “Hey, hey. Come on, Charity. You know damn well that’s not how I operate.”

“But it is how the Faeries operate.”

“Not anymore. The Unseelie accords are very clear on that point. Kids are off limits. If any of them try to mess with that, they have to answer to someone far scarier than me. Trust me.”

“And the coin?” Charity asked. “One of the Fallen would not care about innocents, even children.”

“True,” I said. “I never picked it up. I figure, one amoral bitch whispering in my ear is enough. Don’t tell Lea I called her that. I was just joking. Well, mostly. Anyways, how’ve you been?”

“Is that why you came here? To inquire about my well-being?”

“No, but I figured I’d ask anyway. How long’s it been? Two years?”

Charity stared at me for several long seconds.

“If you must talk, talk.” She reached past me and ripped open the side-door of the van. “Get inside before someone sees you.”

I got inside. Charity followed. It was darker inside, with the only lights coming in from the front, where the van stood in the shadow of a tree. It smelled of rust and oil and something else, like a biker’s shop, or a blacksmith’s. There were boxes of tools, a few crates, and lumber in neat stacks. From her husband’s carpentry business, probably.

“I cannot believe you have the gall to show your face in town after what you did last time,” Charity hissed.

“Which part?” I asked. “Kidnapping you… or the other stuff?”

She’d jabbed an accusatory finger at me, but that brought her up short. “I-”

I thought back on what we had gotten up to the last time we’d seen one another. I’d found myself thinking back on it many times since that night, and especially ever since I’d known I was returning. Charity underneath me, glaring up with undisguised loathing even as she came all over my fingers. Charity coming grinding against my blasting rod… yikes that had been kinky. Charity bent over a desk, wet and needy, moaning as I spilled myself inside of her. 

The last bit stood out and after a moment I realised why. It wasn’t just because it had been hot, though that was definitely true. I thought back on the kid. Maybe two? Maybe not quite.  
I did some math. I had a moment of absolute fucking panic.

“No,” Charity said, as if she’d read my mind. “He’s not yours, thank God.”

I felt a little bit better, but not enough. “Uh - Are you sure?”

“Yes. I was pregnant already, when-”

She cut off, cheeks growing a touch pink. I swallowed and waited for my heartbeat to dial down to something like normal.

I let go of a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding. “That’s… That’s good. Also, kinda weirdly hot. Not sure why.”

“Because that faerie harlot has turned you into a thoroughly depraved person.”

I snorted. “Yeah. That’s got to be it. I don’t recall you seeming to mind.”

My gaze dipped down to Charity’s lips. Normal, human lips. Pink, pretty, a little chapped. Her tongue darted out and left them glistening. I remembered the heat of the last time we’d kissed, nearly three years ago.

“Is that why you’re here?” She asked, eyes downcast, words sounding a little breathless. “To remind me of past mistakes?”

“No,” I said. “But since you decided to give Lea shit, I think I just might.

Maybe it was a dick move, but I really didn’t like the way she’d talked about Lea. I moved a little closer to Charity, giving her ample time to move away, or stop me, but she didn’t. She backed a step, then another, until her shoulder blades were against the interior of the car. I advanced until there was only an inch between us, setting my hands above either shoulder.

She was beginning to breath hard. “Since you’re so quick to give Lea a hard time… here’s your chance. Tell me to stop.”

Our lips were less than an inch apart.

“What do you want?” She asked, voice breathless and husky. 

“To help,” I said. “To keep you and yours safe. I arrived early, though. If you want, we can save the talking for later.”

My lips brushed along her jaw, her cheek, her ear, and Charity shuddered. “God help me,” she whispered.

I pulled back and held for a moment, waiting. I didn’t have to wait for long. She surged forward, grabbing me by the lapels of my coat, and pulled me into a vicious kiss. She kissed me like she hated me, like she was angry at me, and wanted to hurt me as much as anything. Which was probably more or less how she felt, honestly. She shifted her hips forward until they were flush with mine, whimpered against my lips as she felt how hard I was where I pressed against her stomach.

I fumbled with her belt and undid it, ripping it out of its loop and throwing it aside. I undid the top button and the zipper, and stuck my hand down her underwear. There, I froze as I realised she wasn’t wet. Not dry, exactly, but… doubt struck me.

“What?” Charity said, breaking out of the kiss, and looking irritated. “What is it?”

“Uh. I was just-” I blinked. “Are you sure you want this?”

She looked down at my hand, still stuck inside her pants with the hot, soft press of her sex and the soft bristles of hair against the palm.

“I’m not one of your faerie whores who gets wet at the drop of a hat.”

I stroked her sex slowly and felt the muscles of her stomach tense, heard her breath catch. “I thought I told you not to talk about Lea like that.”

“How? Truthfully?”

“And what does that say about you?” That you’re the kinda whore who lets a virtual stranger finger her in the back of her van.”

Charity slapped me and I didn’t even flinch. I’d expected it. That had been the point of insutling her.

“Come on, Mrs Carpenter. You can do better than that. Who do you think I am - your husband?”

She hit me again, palm smacking hard against my cheek.

I’d like to get something straight right off the bat. I’m not into being hit. I am, however, very much into the way Charity looked, and the way she looked at me, right then and there. There was a fierce, dark light in her blue eyes. Something hungry, almost desperate, and it was slipping out of her control. I could feel her getting slick now. Just a little bit more of a nudge.

“Harder,” I hissed.

She hit me again and it left a warm humming feeling against my skin as the sting settled. Her hips shifted forwards, along the length of my fingers, and she made a soft noise.

“There we are,” I murmured, working my fingers against her, spreading the slickness over her clit. “I figured that was what would do it for you.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “You are despicable.”

“And you are getting good and wet for me,” I retorted. “Come on, now. Do I need to start calling you names again or convince you of how you’re justified in hitting me?”

Charity’s eyes drifted shut as I slipped a finger inside of her. She moaned and her knees wobbled. Then her eyes focused on me and she hit me a fourth time. This one hurt like a bitch and I didn’t mind in the slightest. 

I kissed her and it tasted of copper and desperation. I worked another finger inside of her, curling my hand so that with each thrust my palm brushed up along her clit. I used my other hand to undo the buttons of her shirt to reveal the utterly pedestrian sport’s bra underneath. It was the kind of clothing that Lea and her kin would’ve refused to wear under any circumstance and I found it maddeningly arousing on Charity.

I ripped it aside and took her breast in my hand, dragging my thumb across the stiff peak of her nipple. Charity moaned and kissed me again, drowning any further noises against my lips. I yanked down her jeans and her underwear, slipped my fingers free of her sex and had just begun to work on my trousers when there was a rap on the van’s closed side-panel door.

We both stiffened. Charity’s eyes widened in panic and she looked around, to the driver’s seat, where someone peeking in might get a glimpse of what was going on. Nobody was there, at least. Another rapping of knuckles against metal.

“Mrs Carpenter. Are you there? I think Daniel forgot his pacifier.”

Charity yanked her pants up, struggling awkwardly with them for a moment over the lovely swell of her ass, and then began to work on the buttons of her shirt.

“I think it’s in here somewhere,” Charity said. “Just a second. I’ll look.”

I drew a veil up around me and watched. She got her clothes back in order, more or less, and scrambled through the car until she came up with a pacifier. She undid the latch on the door and stepped outside, handing it over to an older, heavy-set woman with frizzy dark hair.

“Are you alright, Mrs Carpenter?”

Charity sounded a little bit out of breath when she answered, but not like she’d been a moment or two from being fucked up against the wall of the van. “I’ll be fine. How’s Daniel?”

The woman smiled. “Inconsolable, as always. It’ll pass in half an hour like it always does. They get used to it. Don’t you worry.”

Charity managed a thin smile. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You go rest. I still remember the first few years with mine. You’ll need every moment or you’ll get sick.”

“Maybe I already am.” She said it so quietly that I’m sure the other woman didn’t hear. I’ve always had good ears, though. “Thank you for your concern. I’ll be back at four.”

“Take care.”

The teacher walked away and, with trembling fingers, Charity closed the door and locked it. I let the veil drop and watched her, one eyebrow raised.

“Guess that kind of ruined the mood, eh?”

Charity glared at me. She was still breathing hard. “What is wrong with you?”

I shrugged. “Lots, but if we get into that we’ll be here all day. Do you want to move along to business?”

She just stood there for a while, body rigid, breathing laboured. Then she seemed to come to a decision. She grabbed me by the front of my shirt and, none too gently, shoved me in the general direction of one of the crates at the back. I sat down and she settled on the floor across from me. Another moment of hesitation followed. Her eyes were intent on me, flicking from my face down to the bulge of my cock.

“Do it,” she said, voice low, urgent and a touch raspy. “Come on.”

I frowned. “You want me to jerk off?”

She hissed out a breath between gritted teeth. “Yes.”

I was worked up to the point where I figured, hell, better than nothing. I pulled my jeans down to my knees and pushed my underwear aside, grasping the length of my cock in my hands and began to slowly stroke myself.

At first, Charity simply watched, bottom lip caught between her teeth. Then, with a noise that sounded an awful lot like despair, she stuck her hand down her jeans and began to touch herself. Her blue eyes tracked the movement of my hand and I watched her chest heave as she drew breath.

“Let me see you,” I told her.

She shook her head jerkily. “No.”

I slowed my movements. “I could come over there. If you tell me not to, I won’t, but I don’t think you will. If you want me to stay here and get myself off for you, I want you to show me.

“Damn it,” Charity hissed.

She wasted no time, though, and squirmed out of her jeans and underwear. She spread her legs slightly spread, tracing wet fingers along her clit. My eyes drifted shut for a moment and I found myself speeding up.

“Is that good enough for you, wizard?” She asked.

“Your shirt,” I said. “Undo the buttons.”

She shuddered and did so, leaving the last three or so closed. I didn’t even have to tell her to get rid of her bra. She pushed it up above her breasts, taking one in her spare hand and squeezing her fingers over the nipple.

It took pretty much all my self control to sit where I was and just watch. I knew that she wouldn’t tell me no if I walked over to her and pushed her back on the floor, if I slipped inside her. I remembered the heat, the sweat, the ferocious mix of desire and anger of the last time we’d been together and I wanted more of that so very badly. But now wasn’t the time or the place for what I had in mind.

I could feel my climax approach already. It never took long when I took care of things myself, unless I wanted it to. Seeing Charity pinching her nipples and hearing how sinfully wet she was now sure as hell didn’t help me on the restraint front. Fortunately, Charity looked even further along.

“There you are, Mrs Carpenter,” I said, taking more than a little perverse pleasure in calling her that. “Come for me.”

“Fuck you,” she groaned.

I chuckled. “I’m right here if you wanna.”

“I hope you die,” she hissed.

Under normal circumstances, that would’ve stung a little, but right now I didn’t care. It just turned me on more. “Come over here and give it your best go.”

Her hand clenched down hard on her breast and it just had to have hurt, but it didn’t seem to bother Charity any. Fuck… I was getting close.

“I’m going to come. Where do you want-?” It wasn’t as though there was a dustbin and a bunch of kleenex available.

Charity’s eyes widened, about equal parts panic and desire. She hesitated only for a moment, then she pushed herself to her feet and came up to me. She bent over my cock, pushed my hand aside, and replaced it with her own… along with the hot, velvety embrace of her mouth.

My eyes shot open and I had about a moment to think that I really should try to make this last, because it surely wouldn’t happen ever again. Charity’s breasts spilled out of her shirt, nipples hard and swollen, skin mottled with red from where she’d been rough with herself. Her ass stuck out fetchingly from beneath the plaid shirt, swaying gently from side to side as she shifted in place.

I wanted very badly to reach down and give her rear a squeeze, or to add some color to it with a smack even, but I couldn’t reach. I was beginning to toy with the idea of using the old mage hand spell and how that might work. Then Charity swiped her tongue along my tip and any thoughts of spell or holding back went out the window. I groaned out her name as I pulsed with the waves of my orgasm, filling her mouth with my release.

Charity moaned around my length, eyes drifting shut as she swallowed. I could see her hand shoot down between her thighs, stroking furiously for a few moments before she stiffened and her legs clamped shut on her fingers. She shook, moaned again, and after a final, greedy swipe of her tongue, she finally went slack. My cock plopped out of her mouth and Charity relaxed on the floor, holding on to my thigh and resting her forehead against my knee.

We sat there in silence for a little while. Until I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you alright?” I stroked her fringe out of her eyes.

“Do not touch me,” she hissed, though she didn’t move.

“If that’s what you want, Mrs Carpenter.”

She straightened and licked the traces of my release off her lips and I took a moment to appreciate her.

Oh, she didn’t look anything like the Fae. They were all slim, predatory perfection. Gorgeous, all of them, but perfection was a little bit boring sometimes.

Charity’s arms showed surprisingly defined muscles, the kind you get some intense and frequent manual labour. Her breasts weren’t the gravity-defying, perky miracles any of the Fae boasted, perhaps, but considering she’d had two kids, they sure as hell weren’t bad. Some barely noticeable traces of stretch marks, a few extra at her stomach. Human stuff. It was wonderfully refreshing, honestly. Most importantly, despite the look of absolute loathing she was levelling at me, her sex glistened and she was wet all the way down her thighs.

“Have you had your fill?” She asked acerbically. “Or do you want to drool for a while longer?”

“I wouldn’t mind drooling a bit longer, honestly,” I said, and did just that.

Charity put her hands at her hips and the shift in stance didn’t hurt one bit. She bent over to pick up her pants and I felt myself twitch with a fresh surge of arousal at that particular image. Charity pulled her pants back on. She did up the remaining buttons of her shirt and I sighed. The fun was over.

“I guess we might as well talk about why I really came here before someone notices. As much fun as this was. How much do you know about your husband’s work?”

Dressed and seemingly composed once more, she settled where she’d just touched herself, and levelled an icy look my way. “Assume I know all that he does.”

I shrugged. “Fair enough. Nicodemus Archleone is planning some crap over in France. Michael’s already headed over, as far I know, and so are the other two knights. But old Nic always has a few side ventures going. One of which is grabbing you to hold you hostage. In case he needs you for that.”

“And how do you know this?“

“He told me over brunch.”

“He told you… over brunch.”

“Yup.”

“And now you’re here. Why?”

“Because fuck him, that’s why. Going after civilians? That’s just sad.”

She was getting tense again, like she might lash out any second. “How do I know you’re not here to help him?”

“You’re still conscious, for one. Come on, Charity. You must’ve heard a thing or two about me by now. Does it sound like the kind of thing I’d do?”

She shook her head and relaxed a little. “No.”

“Great. I was half-expecting you to slug me, and not in the fun way.”

“It’s not off the table,” she said, but there was just the suggestion of a smile there now. “How do you know they’re not going to attack any moment? They just had quite the opportunity.”

I smiled. “Lea’s keeping track of them. They won’t arrive until tomorrow.”

She bit her bottom lip. Fucking hell. Even though I’d just gotten off, that was still sexy enough to get me going just a little again. I sighed. I’d hoped I’d get past that kind of crap as I got older, but no dice.

“Denarians?”

“Nah, thank goodness. If the Denarians move, the knights counter them. That’s how it goes. Nicodemus isn’t stupid, so he’s just sending his goons. Four of them are headed over. He might have more here, but I don’t think so.”

“I need to get my children to safety,” Charity said. “But if the Denarians sent mortals, the church won’t protect us.”

I smiled. “Fortunately, I know just the place.”

***

We spent most of the day getting prep done. Food, water, magical supplies. When we were done, we picked up Charity’s kids and drove off to the prepared location by the Chicago lakeside.

The house had been built on a little jutting peninsula which had then been dug off with a little moat and a bridge leading across. Then it had been surrounded in tall walls and had every damn angle watched with security cameras wrought iron gates. Despite that, it still looked quite tasteful.

A car had gotten there just before us and beyond the gates, a man was getting out. He was in his late thirties or early forties, of average height, with dark hair shot through at the temples with a dignified touch of silver. His suit was a custom job and managed to both emphasize a fairly formidable physique for a man his age, and his a formidable gun in a shoulder holster.

“Sit tight for a moment,” I said, and stepped out of the car, to have a chat with Gentleman Johnny Marcone.

The man’s pale green eyes lingered at me for a moment, calm and calculating. 

“Mr Marcone,” I said, inclining my head. “I’ve some company in the van, as we discussed. Just figured I should let you and any people possible aiming sniper rifles at us right now know.”

Marcone smiled. It wasn’t a warm or a kind expression. Marcone wasn’t either or those things. He was good to his word, though, which was what counted.

“You needn’t worry, Mr Dresden,” he said smoothly. “They’re aware of what to expect.”

“Alright.” I waved a hand at the car and Charity came out.

She eyed me, then Marcone, then me again. Her expression twisted like she’d bitten into a lemon. She knew who he was.

“Now that I’ve seen what you’re paying for, Mr Dresden,” he said. “Shall we see how you’re paying me?”

“Sure thing. Just let me check on the kid, first.”

I knew where I was going, but I let Marcone take the lead. It was his house, after all. I was just borrowing it while I was in town. Charity followed at a safe distance, talking quietly to her children. I went to the kitchen and there I found one of the biggest men I’ve ever seen in my life. He was of a height with me, but he must’ve weight damn near twice what I did. Hendricks’ red hair was shorn into a buzzcut and seated at a normal-sized table, he looked almost comical. Not that I felt like laughing at him. Or looking like I did. Opposite him, a young girl sat, fiddling with some black, gleaming metallic parts. I frowned and looked at the table between them. A gun lay there, magazine ejected, and another lay there divided into its individual pieces. Before my eyes, my daughter took part after part, and put the damn thing back together.

Marcone caught my eye and this time, there was something nearly genuine about his smile. I shook my head as Jennifer set the gun down at the middle of the table, barrel kept pointed away from herself and Hendricks.

“How long?” My daughter asked.

“Three minutes, five seconds,” Hendricks rumbled.

Jennifer glanced my way and muttered. “I was faster last time.”

“Still fast,” Hendricks said.

Jennifer pouted for a little while longer, then hopped off her chair and threw herself at me. I lifted her up and held her.

“Have you been good?” I asked.

She nodded eagerly, red curls bobbing. “Nathan taught me to make a gun!”

“Assemble,” Hendricks correctly absently.

“Nathan?” I asked, voice pitched low.

Jennifer nodded again. “Yeah. S’his name.”

I smiled a little. I was pretty sure that half of the Chicago Police Department didn’t know the first name of Marcone’s head enforcer. Up until this moment, I hadn’t.

“I just need to show Mr Marcone here the circle we made for him so he can go back to work.” I set her down again, turning to Charity. “This is Mrs Carpenter. She’s a friend. Let’s go say hi.”

Jennifer tried to hide behind my leg, suddenly shy, and I lifted her out again. Introductions were made. Charity gave me a look that promised trouble, later, but she didn’t show any of that to Jennifer and nudged her eldest daughter Molly to start talking to her.

“Shall we, Mr Dresden?” Marcone asked.

“Just one more moment,” I said, and walked over to Hendricks. “You taught her guns?”

He raised one eyebrow over a beady eye. “Yeah. So?”

“She’s five, Hendricks.”

“They weren’t loaded.”

“She’s still five.”

“I ain’t the one teaching her Sun Tzu. Pretty sure that’s what she was trying to tell me about. Can’t be sure, though.”

I sighed. “Her godmother is a firm believer in bedtime stories… but she has some weird ideas about what stories are age-appropriate.”

“We got a problem?”

I eyed her. “Depends on who she votes for when she turns 18. Thanks for taking care of her.”

Hendricks just shrugged. Apparently he’d used his allotment of words for the day.

I looked over to Marcone and led the way upstairs, unlocking a door and hitting the lightswitch. One of Marcone’s eyebrows rose. For a guy like him, that was a pretty significant reaction.

“One greater circle, as ordered. Light the candles and smear some blood on them. Don’t touch anything. Don’t let it get too dusty if you can help it, either. Once you’re sitting inside of the inner circle there and it’s activated, pretty much nothing from the spooky side is getting through.”

“How about a wizard?” Marcone asked, watching me.

“They could toss magic at it and it probably wouldn’t do them much good… but they’re not likely to be that dumb. A gun will do the trick just fine. Or they just take it apart. It’s not foolproof, but it’s as good as I could do for you.”

Marcone nodded, satisfied. “One hopes I will not need to resort to such a measure… still, one cannot be too prepared.”

He held out a hand. I hesitated a moment, then took it and shook. His grip was firm and confident. “I’ll let you know when I leave.”

He nodded. “A pleasure doing business with you, Mr Dresden. Should you reconsider my other offer, let me know.”

“I think I’ll stick to temp work for now.”

“As you wish.”

Marcone didn’t seem upset by the rejection. He probably had a plan B. He seemed like the kind of guy to have plans that went from A to F. He walked downstairs, collected Hendricks, and left. I knew a few of his troubleshooters were going to stay, as per our agreement, but for now, we had the house to ourselves.

I returned downstairs to find Jennifer and Daniel taking on Molly in an exaggerated fencing match, wielding plastic spatulas. They were both letting the kid off easy, throwing themselves onto the sofa or any other nearby soft surface whenever he managed to nudge them. Much to Daniel’s delight.

Charity was in the kitchen, staring into the fridge with a blank expression. I walked up to her carefully, making sure she could hear my steps. It wasn’t until I was a few feet away that she shook herself out of her stupor.

“Anything good in there?” I asked.

Her arm tensed for a moment as if she intended to slam the fridge shut, then she mastered herself and did it carefully. Still, the red lights declaring the internal temperature flickered for a moment. She’d been practising.

“Marcone,” she said in a low voice, enough to keep the conversation from any of the kids if they were to get curious. “You’re working with Marcone. Is there any scum in this world you are not on a first name basis with?”

“Gygax. Won’t return my calls, the bastard.“

Charity clenched her hands into fists and walked up close. “You brought my children into contact with murderers.”

“They’re safer here than any place I can put them except one… and trust me when I say, you don’t want your kids introduced to Jennifer’s godmother. She makes Marcone seem like a schoolyard bully.”

“Marcone is dangerous,” Charity said.

“Incredibly dangerous,” I agreed. “But he has rules. That’s better than most people.”

I turned to face her more fully and it was really only then that I realised how close we were standing. Charity’s eyes flicked up to mine in a quick, nervous look. My heart sped up.

“You should have told me.”

I shrugged. “You wouldn’t have come if I did.”

“No. I wouldn’t have.”

I wanted to put a hand on her shoulder, but I had a feeling she didn’t want me to comfort her.

“Well, I wanted you to come.” I winked at her. She sighed deeply.

“In any case… we’re here now,” I said. “Was there anything good in the fridge?”

“There’s enough,” she said.

Charity watched the children play for a while. It looked like they were having fun.

“The child,” she said, after a while. “She’s yours. With the faerie.”

“Yeah. Jennifer.”

“How old were you?”

“Too young, probably,” I said, returning my attention to Charity. “But that’s the thing about being too young, isn’t it? You’re too young to understand or to accept that you’re not ready for something. It worked out in the end.”

“She seems like a sweet child,” Charity noted.

I chuckled to myself. “Yeah. No idea how that happened.”

For a moment, Charity almost smiled at me. Then she thought better of it and went to the fridge, picking things up and setting them on the long work-bench at the center of the kitchen. I went to the drawers and pulled out a ceramic dutch oven.

“We’ll need to use this.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Can’t use anything made out of iron. Jennifer’s allergic.”

“She’s not allergic,” Charity said. “She’s like her mother.”

I winced. “She’s a changeling. So no iron. Alright?”

“Of course.”

We cooked dinner. The kids ran around for a while, got bored, and then sat down to watch some TV. Once in a while, they came to see when the food would be done, but for the most part, Charity and I were left alone. The stew Charity had prepared was starting to smell really good when Lea finally called.

“Darling?” She whispered. “Do you have her?”

I found myself smiling. “Yes.”

“Are you both safe?”

“Yes.”

“The husband has arrived in Paris. Nicodemus’ mortal servitors are departing for Chicago now.”

“Thank you. We’ll be ready for them.”

“See that you are,” Lea said.

There was a brief pause before the connection shorted, as if Lea had been considering saying something more before deciding not to. You kinda had to know her, but I knew she was worried. That she cared, in her own way.

“He’s landed in Paris,” I told Charity. “The goons are on their way. They’re probably going to be here by morning.”

Charity stiffened for a moment, then resumed chopping spring onions as if I’d told her there’d be a light drizzle tomorrow. “Very well. I’ll give him a call after we’ve eaten and the kids are asleep.”

She finished off the chopping, put the onions in a little bowl, and turned towards the living room.

“Dinner’s ready!”

Dinner was… weird. Lea and I had never had what one might call a normal or standard sort of family. We were busy and most of the time, we didn’t sit down and eat as a family. Maybe we should. It was nice. Hence the weirdness. After some fussing, the kids were stowed upstairs in one of the bedrooms, and I found myself alone in the kitchen with Charity. I’d found a bottle of wine and put it on the central table in the kitchen, but I hadn’t opened it, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.

“Do you have a plan?” She finally asked.

“Of course. We go over there and kick their teeth in.”

She watched me for several long moments. “Is that all?”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be that much more complicated. We find them, scout the place out and see what they’ve got going on. Then we go to the part where we kick their teeth in.”

“Very well.” Charity’s eyes flicked to the bottle, too, then back to me. She worried at her bottom lip for a moment, then looked away. “I should… I should take care of the dishes.”

She walked over to the sink and began to drop dirty pots, plates and cutlery into it. I got two glasses and uncorked the bottle of wine, pouring generously into both. Then, taking a sip for fortitude, I walked over to where Charity stood.

“Dresden…” Her tone was low, half warning, half protest.

I let my gaze drift, lingering for a long while on her ass. I never would’ve thought the day would come when I thought mom jeans would look hot on anyone, but I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong.

“Yeah?”

“Whatever idea just popped into your head, you’d be better off ignoring it.”

I smiled a little. “Dang. I was just about to give you a million bucks.”

I walked up behind her as she began to work, moving slowly. I could see tension gathering in the set of her shoulders, but she didn’t stop or tell me to fuck off, so I kept going.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

I stepped in so that I stood pressed up against her back and moved my around around her waist, resting them atop the soft, slight swell of her belly. “I’m honestly not sure.”

I began to undo the buttons of her shirt, one by one, and Charity kept on doing the dishes, setting each aside in the tray to the side. By the time she was done with the plates, I’d undone the last button of her shirt.

“We shouldn’t do this… again,” she said.

“I know.”

I rested my hands on her hips, teasing the tips of my fingers underneath the fabric of her tank top. For all that she’d just said, she pressed herself back against me. I took that as a cue and slipped my fingers up underneath the top, over smooth warm skin.

“I swore to myself I’d never do this again,” Charity said as I skimmed over her ribs.

“Then why are you?”

She shook her head and wiggled, pressing the firm swell of her ass against my cock. I felt her shiver, then, hands idle in the soapy water. “I don’t know.”

I bent forward and kissed her neck, feeling her begin to grind back against me. Even that felt obscenely good. I lost myself for a few moments, with nothing filling my mind except the warmth and the softness of her body. She made a sound at the back of her throat and pressed back harder against me, and it wasn’t until then that I realised I’d maneuvered my hands underneath her sport’s bra to cup both her breasts in my hands.

“Should I stop?”

I squeezed. Flicked my thumb over the peaks of her nipples, feeling them stiffen under my touch.

“You should… but I don’t want you to.”

“Would it be easier if it was like last time?” I asked softly. “We can pretend, if that makes it easier for you, but I kinda need you to be clear with me, Charity.”

She struggled, suddenly, and I let her twist around to face me. 

“It’s Mrs Carpenter,” she said in a low voice.

I nodded. If that’s how she wanted it, I could roll with that. I’ve never been much of an actor, but I gave it my best go.

“Oh? And what’re you going to do about it… Charity?”

She struggled against me, hips grinding against mine as she did, eager panting and soft moans interspersed between the insults. I reached down between us, stroking her through her jeans, and she buried her face against my chest.

“Figured as much,” I said. “Let me tell you what’s going to happen next.”

I ripped her belt off and dropped it on the floor. I pulled down the zipper of her jeans and stuck my hand down inside of her underwear, peeling the slick cotton from her skin, and teasing her sex with my fingers. Then I leaned in close to her ear and told her exactly what I had planned for her. Charity bucked against my fingers, urging them deeper inside of her.

“Should I take that as a go-ahead?” I asked.

Charity nodded.

“I want to hear you say it.” I pressed my thumb against her clit, slowly dragging it back and forth.

Charity opened her mouth and clenched her teeth, but not before and a moan slipped out. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, then opened. “Yes. Yes, I want it.”

The words seemed to have cost her something, but they settled the last of my doubts.

I pulled her pants down. I wanted to taste her… but the night was young and I wasn’t in much of a hurry. I let her stand there, pants and underwear at her ankles, hungrily staring at her bare sex.

I looked around. The kitchen counter was too high for what I needed and the table, too. I know, it looks simple in the movies, to just lift someone up on the table and then get right down to the good stuff, but more often than not, the height just isn’t right. The chair would be too low. The stair would be too low unless I wanted to hurt my back bending over, so in the end, I just grabbed a couple of dish towels and lay them on the floor in a pile by Charity’s feet and settled on my knees in front of her.

Charity made a feeble sound at the back of her throat as my hot, eager breath washed across her inner thighs, and she spread them eagerly. Even then, I took my time, approaching kiss by kiss, covering inch by inch, as slowly as I could make myself go.

“Come on,” she growled, hands settling in my hair, fingers clenching. “What’re you waiting for?”

“Wouldn’t wanna skimp on the foreplay, considering last time.”

“Damn it, Dresden. I’m ready.”

“Oh, I can tell.”

I nuzzled up against her thighs, rough bristle on my cheek against silky soft skin, and felt a sticky heat smear against my cheek. She was definitely ready. But I wasn’t. It was far too much fun seeing her reduced to a whimpering wreck and I wanted much, much more of it. So I kept going slowly, alternating from one thigh to the next, advancing by the tiniest amount each time.

“Behave, Mrs Carpenter,” I said, playfully stern. “You’ll get what you want when I decide and not a fucking moment sooner.”

I looked up at her sex, mere inches away. Dark gold curls, neat and tidy, and glinting with wetness in the low light. The merest suggestion of stubble where she’d shaved some days ago. A light sheen on arousal sticking to her skin all the way down her inner thighs, with even more all but dripping from her. The muscles of her thighs - damn near as impressive as her arms - were trembling. Her hips shifted forward, desperately seeking friction and I set the palm of my hand above her Mons Venus, gently pushing her back. Yep, highschool might not have had the time to teach me much sex ed, but Lea had been very, very throrough and the testing had been… rigorous.

I moved in again, before Charity decided to get violent in the non-fun way, and kissed her inner thigh, briefly tasting her, before finally settling at her sex. I took a deep breath through my nose, taking in the heady scent of her, and pressed my mouth to her at last. Charity’s hips bucked and she groaned at the contact. I shoved her back against the counter and teased my tongue along the length of her sex. The muscles of her stomach clenched where I had the tips of my fingers playing along them, and Charity made another desperately needy sound.

I had a feeling this wouldn’t take long, but that was alright. I could drag it out for a while just to see how much she could take and I expected she’d end up wanting more.

I pulled back for a moment, giving her a smug grin because I knew she wouldn’t be able to back down or do anything about it at this point.

“Easy…” I said. “It’s still early. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Charity blinked. “Time.”

I frowned. “Hmm?”

“Time,” she repeated, eyes widening. She looked over to the clock. “Shit. I should’ve called. Shit.”

She stared down at me for a long moment, breasts heaving noticeable and very nicely with each ragged breath.

“You’ll have to fill me in here,” I said.

Charity growled and bent down, not to kiss me or pounce on me or anything, but to pull her pants back on. She shuddered as she went too roughly at it, pressing the fabric up against her sex, and straightened.

“I need to call my husband,” she said. “He should have arrived at his hotel half an hour ago.”

It was my turn to blink. “Oh. Uh. Well, shit.”

She hesitated and I didn’t know what to make of it. Did she want me to stop her? Did she want me to keep going, make her come all over my face while on the phone? Arousal pulsed through me at the thought, but I decided against it. That was something Lea would no doubt enjoy, but it was a step too far for me.

“Well… I guess I’ll just wait, then.”

Charity nodded shakily. She went to the phone, waiting for a moment to catch her breath. Even after half a minute, it took her three attempts to get the number right with her trembling fingers. I went over to the glass of wine and downed it in a single go, wincing at the burn. I refilled it and sipped more slowly.

I was achingly hard and my thoughts were hazy, muddled behind the roaring, pounding need. I idly stroked along the length of my cock and caught Charity’s eyes for a moment. She licked her lips, then shook herself and looked away, returning to her quiet conversation. I could’ve listened in, but didn’t, so I was caught by surprise when Charity called for me.

“Dresden. He wants a word with you.”

I felt a sudden stab of panic. “With me?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

I floundered for a more, took another generous gulp of wine, and set the glass down with trembling fingers. Then I walked up to the phone and took it from Charity, trying to ignore the searing heat of her fingertips as they brushed mine.

“Dresden,” I said.

“Harry.” His voice was deep and soft. I imagined, under most circumstances, it would be very soothing. These weren’t most circumstances. “Charity tells me you’re keeping her safe from Nicodemus’ men.”

“Yeah,” I said.

A moment passed and I got the distinct impression he was trying to gauge if I was lying to him or not. I wasn’t sure, but I’d heard the Knights of the Cross could do that kind of thing. 

“I’m glad to hear that. The Denarians sometimes escalate things into involving our loved ones. I thank God you were in place to stop them.”

My stomach writhed with guilt and I felt a little sick. “Glad to help.”

“Did the book help?”

“Not really. Some parts helped me fall asleep. I guess that’s something?”

He laughed. “It’s a path it takes some longer to find than others. At least you’re going in the right direction.”

“I guess.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any more time, Harry. God be with you. Would you put Charity back on the phone?”

“Of course.”

I felt numb as I handed the phone back and listened as Charity and Michael exchanged goodbyes. She hung up. A moment passed and then I felt the curves of her breasts as they pressed up against my back. Her arms wound around my waist. I winced as the nausea worsened, and Charity let go of me. She walked around me and watched me, frowning. Reaching down, she stroked a couple of fingers along the still rigid length of my cock. I stepped back.

“Sorry, Charity,” I mumbled. “I think I need a moment.”

“What? Her frown deepened. “Why?”

“Just… I don’t know if we should do this.”

Her expression twisted with a sudden fury. “And yet here we are. After everything, you’re backing out now?”

“Charity…”

Her voice trembled as she pressed in close. “No. You don’t get to do this to me. Do you want me to beg? Is that it?”

“No. Well, yeah, but not like this.”

“Do you want to touch myself again?” She was breathing hard against my neck and let out a quiet gasp as she shoved her hand down the front of her jeans.

“No, Charity. Just-”

She pressed a finger to my lips. My back hit the wall and it wasn’t until then that I realised I’d been backing off, or that Charity had been following me.

“Shut up. Just shut up and stand there.”

She stared at me as her hand moved inside of her pants, anger and hatred seething around her. She was rough with herself, fast, hips shifting to grind against her fingers, but something was wrong. The anger turned to frustration, which in turn resulted in more anger. She kept going for a minute or so, and I stood there frozen, aching with need. She squeezed her eyes shut, face set with concentration, but whatever she was looking for, she couldn’t find it. With a low snarl, she jerked her hand out of her pants and stepped up to me.

“This is all your fault,” she said. “All of it. You should have stayed gone and left me alone.”

That was entirely fair, but I kept my mouth shut. My silence seemed to infuriate her even more. Pulling her hand out of her pants and wiping it off on my shirt, she grabbed the half-full bottle of wine and stalked upstairs. I sank down along the wall. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

I had a difficult time sleeping that night and by the looks of things, Charity did too. She was still fuming over the breakfast the next morning, but didn’t let the kids see it. I slipped off for a shower and I’m sure I locked the door. Somehow, that didn’t stop Charity. Wouldn’t have called her being able to pick a lock, but when I was halfway through my shower, she appeared in the door.

The shower was in the back corner of the room, clinkers floors by a few inches to separate it, and with a single sheet of glass cutting off the rest of the room, open at the far side. There was absolutely no cover.

She stood there for a while, watching me, and then stepped inside and closed the door behind her. I’d covered myself up, at first, but I’d be damned if I was going to let her see me uncomfortable. So I kept on lathering myself up with the no doubt expensive body wash Marcone had invested in. All the while, Charity stepped up closer to the glass.

She watched me for another moment and then she began to strip. It was businesslike. Practical. She wasn’t putting on a show. Honestly, she didn’t need to. I stared and tried to ignore the fact that I was getting hard, to pretend like it meant nothing, as Charity finally kicked her underwear aside and stood there stark naked.

She went through the opening and walked up beside me, under the spray. The water plastered her hair to her face and left it a dark gold and Charity closed her eyes. It gave me a moment to succumb to temptation and ogle her. With the droplets of water running down her body was well worthy of taking a few moments to appreciate. Seriously impressive arms. My fingers itched to reach out for her, but I held back.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Charity asked as she began to wash herself.

Washing herself looked a lot like foreplay. I swallowed as she took the bottle of body wash out of my hands and began to rub it all over herself, accentuating the gorgeous curves of her body even as she hid the finer details. 

“I’m not doing anything to you,” I said. “Right now, I feel like you’re the one doing something to me, and it’s pretty unfair, actually.”

I gave her a sheepish grin. Charity watched me dead in the eye as she rubbed the lather over her breasts, then stepped into the spray and washed it off, leaving herself bare and exposed once more. Her hands dipped down between her thighs and she spread her legs wider than strictly necessary as she detached the portable showerhead and washed herself off.

I may have whimpered, but fortunately it was lost in the noise.

“You are. You come in, turn my life up-side-down and then you expect to simply step back. Is this what you were expecting? That we would both forget?” She stepped in close, looking up at me, and our bodies pressed together. I bit down a groan as my cock pressed up against the soft skin of her belly. “That we’d both pretend you aren’t so hard you’re about to burst and that I ache to feel you come inside of me again.”  
I shuddered. I wanted that really, fucking badly, but it felt… wrong. Lea was going to have a field day if she realised I’d developed a conscience.

“I’m sorry,” I said, and put my arm around her, giving her a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t think this through very well.”

She shoved my arm away and wriggled out of reach. “Fuck your apologies.”

She looked down at my cock, still hard, still throbbing with need, with the desire to push her up against the wall and bury myself inside of her, making her cry out and letting the sounds of the falling water drown it all out. For a moment, I thought she might do something, but then she shook herself, wiped at her face, and stormed off. She grabbed a towel, toweled herself off, got dressed, and slammed the door as she left.

It was pretty awkward until the babysitter came and we each kept the mask up in front of the kids until we finally had the chance to leave. We rented another van, paying with cash, and using the hair sample Lea had left for me on the kitchen table, found their hiding place within the hour. That brought me to the part of the little adventure I’d been dreading since the night before. Hours spent on a stake-out with Charity.

The first few hours were spent in stubborn, sullen silence. Every so often I’d find myself tapping my fingers on my leg or on the dashboard, and then Charity glowered my way and I stopped. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I know I said it before, but… I’m sorry about yesterday. And this morning,I guess.”

Charity looked over my way, then returned her attention to the motel we were checking on. “I don’t care.”

“Come on, Charity-”

“Mrs Carpenter,” she said. “And which part? The part where you got me off on a mattress in an old factory? Or when you fucked me over a desk? Or in the van yesterday? Or, perhaps, when you went down on me in the kitchen, with the children asleep upstairs? Or are you feeling guilty for after all that, when deciding to suddenly assume the moral high ground and refuse to finish what you started?”

I sighed and tried not to think of any of those times or how good they’d felt. “All of it.”

“You should have thought of that before starting this.”

“Yeah, well - I didn’t.”

“And now here we are.”

Another patch of silence stretched out and absolutely nothing happened. Odds were good Nicodemus’ goons were waiting for orders, or just asleep after the long flight.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about getting you all worked up yesterday and not finishing the job. Didn’t mean to give you blue balls… unless you finished yourself off later, I guess.”

“It’s worth nothing,” Charity said, then winced and shifted in her seat. “And no, I didn’t finish anything. If you must know.”

I didn’t want to know… or rather, I very badly wanted to know, but probably shouldn’t have. Was that why she was shifting around uncomfortably? Was she turned on? Or had she just been cooped up for too long? I knew I had.

I tried not to think about it, which meant I didn’t think about anything else. Was Charity thinking back on last night? Was it making her wet? What if she’d gone for broke and gotten herself off in front of me after all? I felt myself throb at the thought. I caught Charity looking at me. Her eyes dipped to the bulge in my pants. The corner of her mouth turned up just a fraction in something like a self-satisfied smirk, and then she stared out the window again.

“I wouldn’t have stopped you if you wanted to finish yourself off last night… or this morning. Might’ve left you feeling better.”

“Believe it or not, the moment was somewhat ruined.”

I eyed her. “And this morning?”

“Then, too.”

“Really? How about now?”

“I have absolutely no desire to debase myself in front of you.”

I snorted. “Liar.”

“Excuse me?” She said, speaking through gritted teeth.

“I called you a-“

A felt a gentle tug of magic on my senses and Lea’s voice came to me. “Harry.”

I gave Charity a look. “Sorry. Gotta take this. Seriously, give yourself a hand. I won’t even notice.”

I reached out for Lea and established the connection.

“Hey there,” I said. “How’s Paris?”

“As it ever has been,” Lea said. “How fares your quest?”

“I’m doing a stake-out. We are doing a stake-out, I suppose. Just waiting for them to move somewhere less busy before we make our move.”

“And how are things with the woman?” There was a hint of dark amusement in her voice.

“Good,” I said. “She wasn’t very happy to see me at first, but I guess you could say I made her come around.”

You couldn’t really convey a raised eyebrow or a wink through the connection, but my emphasis probably did the trick.

“Did you, now?” Lea asked and her voice had gone into a lower, sultry register. “Tell me more.”

I glanced sideways at Charity, who looked away and pretended like she hadn’t been eyeing me. “If you touch yourself for me.”

Lea’s breath didn’t actually brush against my ear as she sighed, but it felt as though it did, and I shuddered. The front of my underwear was slick already where the tip of my cock pressed against it.

“That sounds agreeable. Tell me everything.”

And so I did, drawing it out, and trying to keep my cool as Lea got herself off for me. I shuddered right along with Lea when she came and damn near toppled over the edge myself. The aftermath left me feeling wound up and jittery.

The Leanansidhe let out a slow pleased ‘Mmm’ and I found myself imagining her stretched out luxuriously on her bed. “I shall be with you by nightfall, Harry.”

“Alright.”

The connection snapped and I returned to the present, aching and shivering with need and with all of that I couldn’t help but be aware of just how close to Charity I was. Of how good she smelled.

“Right,” I said. “Where were were?”

“Dresden-”

“Judging by the attitude, I guess you didn’t take my advice?”

“You made noises,” she said.

Ah. Woops.

“Lea called.”

“Ah… and what did your faerie whore want?”

“Check in, and don’t call her that. It’s beneath you and it’s not going to piss me off.”

“Yes it does,” she said, and seemed to take vindictive satisfaction in it.

I shrugged. “Yeah. Obviously, it does.”

“So… What else did your mistress want of you this time that inspired this?”

She gave the bulge in my jeans a look. I cleared my throat. “Uh. I told her about us. She listened.”

“I see,” Charity said, pressing her lips together. “Doesn’t she object to… this?”

“Helping you or that we fucked?”

Charity just looked at me. It was answer enough. “I told her about what we did yesterday and she came all over her fingers listening. Does that answer your question?”

I grinned and Charity averted her gaze, cheeks flushing. Fuck it. I was bored. I decided to push just a little.

“She’d probably want to watch. Hell, she’d probably want to join in.”

Charity shivered and refused to look at me. “Are you waiting for me to beg?”

That brought me up short. “Huh?”

“You spent all of yesterday driving me insane, and then when I reciprocated, you backed down. Are you waiting for me to lower myself to begging for it?”

Ah. Put like that, I was kind of being a dick. “No. I mean, not gonna deny that’d be really hot, but I just… had an epiphany, I guess. I shouldn’t have done any of this. I shouldn’t be messing with you now, either, but it’s hard to resist. You’re hard to resist.”

She looked over my way and there was a dangerous intensity to how she looked at me, and I couldn’t quite look away.

“Would it be easier for you if we pretended you had no choice?” Charity asked.

My mouth suddenly went dry for some reason. I swallowed. “That… That’s a bit kinkier than I would’ve expected.”

Charity definitely caught on. She shifted in her seat, moving closer.

“You deserve no more,” she said, and laid a hand on my thigh.

I gave our surroundings a nervous glance. We were hell of a lot less public than last time, parked underneath a couple of trees on a one-way street leading into a little forest. Even so, I felt weirdly self-conscious as Charity straddled me.

“Uh-”

“Be silent,” Charity snapped, and I was pretty sure most of the anger wasn’t feigned. “You’ve done enough damage talking, wizard.”

“Oh fuck off,” I said. “As if-”

She smacked me across the face. I felt myself twitch, arousal pooling low in my stomach. Charity made a soft sound at the back of her throat and her hips shifted forward until she could grind herself encouragingly against me.

“I told you to be silent,” she whispered, stroking the spot she’d just hit.

She pulled her pants off, which was pretty awkward under the circumstances, but I managed not to smile so that she saw it. In her underwear, she pressed up close again.

“So…” I drawled. “Is this the part where you start begging?”

There was a dark glimmer in her blue eyes as she smacked me twice more in between tugging my pants down.

“Have you ever done this with the faerie?”

“Yes,” I said. “A bunch of times. She insisted we return to your street after that first time. Watched you arrive home. I told her about how I’d taken you and she rode me in the back of the car.”

“You are sick,” she hissed, even as she unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down.

“Ouch,” I said, and grinned.

I reached for her hips and she slapped my hands away. She slapped me hard across the jaw next. “Do not move. Do not speak. Don’t even touch me.”

She pulled my boxers down and I choked down a soft sound. “I said, be silent.”

Her hand closed around my throat, not hard enough to actually cut off my air, but hard enough that I damn well felt it. Shuffling forward on my lap, she pushed her underwear to the side, raised herself, and guided me inside of her.

She moaned out loud as she sank down along my length. Her eyelids fluttered, then drifted shut, and she shuddered hard in my lap. I set my hands at her hips as I began to bottom out, trying to urge her on for that one last inch, to move just a little bit faster. Charity struck me once, twice, three times, finishing with a backhand.

“There we are, Mrs Carpenter,” I found myself growling, rocking my hips forward, because she hadn’t said I couldn’t do that.

“Shut up,” she snarled, and kissed me. The kiss was rough, all nipping teeth. It didn’t ask, or even demand, it simply took. I moaned into Charity’s mouth and she answered it as she began to move, rocking against me. The second thrust, her fingers tightened on my forearms, the third, she broke free from the kiss and whimpered against my neck, and on the fourth she pulled back until I was almost out of her. Her eyes widened with surprise and she halted, panting. I grabbed her hips and pushed her down once more, and Charity cried out raggedly.

Her legs squeezed me, her sex clenched around me, and I felt pretty sure we might as well burn the car for insurance rather than try to clean the seat.

“Did you seriously just come?” I asked her.

Charity shuddered as an aftershock rocked her, shaking her head, and laying her forehead down on my shoulder. She moved, feebly, raising herself and inch before slowly easing herself down on me again. She moaned and slumped.

“Damn,” Charity wheezed, leaning on me.

I laughed and reached my hands up underneath her shirt, caressing her back before letting my hands come down on her ass. I gave it a firm squeeze and felt a gentle tremor run along her. I hesitated, then I gave her a smack.

Charity whimpered and her ass jiggled pleasantly. Her skin was a mottled, flushed color all over and the smacks added some nice symmetry to her pale ass.

“Done already?” I asked. I gave the other cheek another smack. 

Charity opened her eyes. Her teeth set in determination and she rocked her hips against me. Slowly, at first, but she picked up speed. I squeezed her ass, urging her on, and kissed her again.

“No,” she ground out. “I’m not done with you yet.”

“Really? Feels like it to me.”

Her nails dug into my shoulder and she sped up, tremors running along her frame like a jolt of electricity each time she sank down on my cock.

“Tell me about how you fuck her,” Charity said.  
“First of all,” I said. “She fucks me. Not the other way around. Most of the time.”

“Tell me.”

“Do you want to know about the first time?” I asked, brushing aside her hair and taking her earlobe between my teeth. I gave it a pull.

“Yes…”

I told her. Every single detail. My first proper kiss, the feeling of Lea in my lap, how hard I’d come in my pants. Sinking to my knees in worship of The Leanansidhe and learning to please her. Doing so, again and again, until she was sated.

By the end of the story, Charity was riding me at a hard, frantic pace, and I knew I was reaching the end of my rope. Charity’s skin glowed with a light sheen of sweat. I could feel the tension gathering where my fingers still dug into the firm curve of her ass. Charity slammed herself down on me and seemed to hit just the right spot because she repeated the motion again and again, moaning against my lips each time.

“Come for me,” she demanded. “Come inside me. Come!”

Charity seized up around me, burying her face against my neck and with a choked scream. I could feel my own climax rising, closer and closer, so fucking close, and then she slowed, and stopped. I chased the sensation, thrusting up against her, groaning in frustration when she stilled.

“I’m so close,” I mumbled. “Please.”

I thrust my hips up sloppily, feeling the pressure build and mount.

“Not yet,” Charity rasped. “Too soon. I don’t think I can-“

I didn’t know what she meant and it was too late, anyways as my legs tensed. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her hard to my chest, and groaned loudly against her neck as I throbbed and pulsed, spilling myself deep inside of her. Wave after wave, the orgasm rolled over me.

Charity’s eyes widened as she felt it, something between panic and thrill, and I felt her clench down on me again, moaning feebly and pounding her fist against the backrest of the car seat.

“Did you just- again?” I asked.

She nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open. She tried to push off me, but her legs trembled so badly that she failed and slipped down on my cock again. We both whimpered. I thought back to earlier, in the van.

“Is it really whenever I?”

She nodded again and holy shit, she was actually blushing. “Almost always.”

Despite having just come, I felt myself throb with arousal at that. That… was really, really hot. I mean, imagine the possibilities.

“We’ll be trying that out later,” I told her.

Charity nodded. “After I’ve washed up and we have finished with these people.”

I cupped her chin and made her face me. “You’re not washing up. I want you to walk around feeling me inside of you.”

I felt her shudder at that. Damn. I’d definitely found a weak spot. With my help, I lifted Charity off my lap, got her underwear back in place and set her down in her own seat, where she began to pull her jeans back on.

“How do we know they didn’t slip out while we… were busy?”

I raised an eyebrow. “‘Magic. I’ve got a tracking spell on them, on their car, and a net around the motel room. They’re not moving without anywhere without me knowing.”

Charity nodded. “Very well. What do we do once we find them?”

“Depends. Preferably just call the cops. These guys are pretty much terrorists. I haven’t really kept up to date with politics here, but I seem to recall people are really scared of terrorists these days.”

Charity lifted her ass up off the seat and pulled the pants all the way on. She shivered lightly.

“Sore?” I asked.

“No. I- I can feel it. It’s soaking into my underwear.”

“I was just trying to get you off earlier. There’s wet-wipes in the back. You can clean yourself off if you want.”

Charity shook her head. “No. I like it.”

She idly stroked herself through her jeans and then leaned back in her seat and drank some water.

Damn she was kinky. Michael was a lucky guy.

“Alright.”

It was another hour before the damn goons showed their faces. At least the both of us were feeling better and I’d spent more time telling Charity about Lea and my time with the Sidhe.

“And that’s how Jennifer got suspended from preschool, frickin’ preschool. No idea how that’s even possible.”

Charity smiled almost fondly. “She seems like a kind and caring child. I take it she doesn’t care for bullies?”

“She doesn’t and with her mom… not the mention her godmother. She was more than ready to deal with it, I guess.”

Charity chuckled. “One wonders where she learned why to object to such things.”

I grinned. “No clue.”

We had a for once comfortable moment of silence. “Do you love her? The faerie?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t hesitate.

“And does she love you?”

“Yeah. It’s not the same as with mortals. You might not think of it as love, but it is.”

Charity considered me. “You were so young when you first met.”

“Yep. Probably not the best idea I ever had, in retrospect, but it worked out well.”

“Aren’t you ever angry at her? For what you might have had.”

I frowned as I thought it over. “No. I don’t know what I might’ve had, but it probably would’ve sucked. My dad died when I was six, Charity. I was in foster homes until I was 13 and then a wizard adopted me. He… was a real piece of work. Lea saved me.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

I shrugged. “You’re not wrong. I was definitely too young, but I guess I was too young to understand that, too. Water under the bridge now. But hey, if you wanna give Lea a spanking in account of her cradle robbing, I’m game.”

Charity gave me a strange look and an idea began to form in my head. Before it could crystallise, though, the perimeter alarm went off and I saw all five of Nicodemus’ goons file out of the room. It was time.

We tailed them at a distance for a while, which was when my plan came into contact with the enemy as the goons returned with some pretty heavy armaments sticking out of their bags. A little heavier than I wanted the cops to have to deal with.

New plan.

We followed them to a second stop and as they drove into an alley, I triggered the second purpose of the tracker I’d set on the petrol tank, and blew a little hole in it. The goons drove fifty yards or so into the alley, which was just perfect, and disappeared into another building.

I took out a lighter. Charity watched me with wide eyes. “Will you kill them?”

I met her gaze for a moment. “These guys are heavily armed. They plan to kidnap or kill you and your kids. If we send the cops, good guys will die. So yeah, I’m going to blow the lot of them sky-high.”

There was a fierce, almost hungry look in Charity’s eyes. “Good.”

I waited until the goons returned and the moment they got into the car, I lit the line of petrol. Fire licked across the ground and ran down the line, up into the petrol tank the van went up in a fireball as big as any I could’ve made happen with magic. We both stared for a little while. Fire is awesome and terrifying. Then I set the car in gear and slowly drove us off the scene.

We drove in circles for a little while, but eventually found our way to a hotel. I grabbed some of our gear, stowed it in a bag and slung it over my shoulder.

We made our way to the room, washed up, and settled down. Charity lay down on the bed. I say down on the floor and began a summoning. It was basic fare. No circle. Just my power, my will, and a name.

I’m not going to tell you Lea’s real name, obviously, but I whispered it with my voice infused with power. Three times. There was a soft gust of wind and a woman appeared in front of me.

The Leanansidhe was tall and statuesque with auburn curls tumbling down all the way to her waist. She wore an evening gown of a deep, deep blue color and it clung to her form like waves at midnight.

Charity blinked and spent a few seconds staring openly. It wasn’t an unusual response to seeing one of the Sidhe. There was an unearthly, ethereal beauty to Lea that clearly put her apart from us mere mortals. Lea allowed Charity her moment and I waited until she was done to step up to her and kiss her. Lea kissed me softly and then made to pull back just out of reach with a cheeky little grin. I grabbed her ass and pulled her in close, deepening the kiss and losing myself in her for just a moment. When we parted, there was a definite heat in Lea’s eyes and I felt pretty good about myself. Lea walked up to Charity, inspecting her.

“You brought her to me dressed this time,” she lamented. “What a pity. She looked ever so lovely, naked and trembling.”

Charity opened her mouth to say something and I gave her a sharp shake of my head behind Lea’s back. Charity pressed her lips together into a thin white line.

“You do smell of him,” Lea continued, voice lowering to sultry tones. “As he smells of you.”

Charity looked up at my Godmother. “Yes.”

I walked up behind Lea, wrapping my arms around her, and she leaned against with a pleased sound.

“I thought you might like her,” I said. “Figured I’d make the introduction.”

I let my hands roam shamelessly along Lea’s body while Charity stood there and watched. Over her belly and up across her breasts, down along her arms. Lea reached back between us and stroked a hand over my cock. I caught Charity’s eye.

Then I slipped the handcuffs I’d prepared out of my pocket and snapped one of the links around Lea’s wrist. She tried to jerk away from me, but the supernatural speed and strength that would’ve usually let her fight with a strength far, far beyond anything her stature suggested, was suddenly gone. I snapped the other link over the other wrist.

“What is the meaning of this, dearest?” Lea asked, voice crackling with tension.

I walked out from behind her and over to Charity, taking up a similar position behind her as I had behind Lea before.

“Handcuffs. Steel. Not enough iron content right at the surface to hurt… or burn. But plenty to keep you nice and weak.” I leaned in close to Charity’s ear. “You wanted to deal with the cause for all of this, didn’t you? The reason I kidnapped you, the reason we met, and the reason for everything that happened after that. Well, here she is.”

I could hear Charity’s breathing pick up. “I don’t know.”

I kissed her neck and she sighed, tilting her head to give me more access. “Up to you. Just think about it. She deserves it. You literally can’t hurt her… and she’s helpless to stop you.”

Charity shivered. Then she walked up to Lea. She took a lap around the fae woman, as she had once done to her.

“Harry. Put her on the bed.”

I took Lea’s arm and pushed her onto the bed. She sprawled there on her front, legs in the air. Charity settled beside her, shoving Lea back down into the mattress when she squirmed and tried to roll over. 

“Be still,” Charity warned, “or it’ll be worse.”

Lea laughed. “Mortal child. What could you possibly do?”

Charity struck her hard on the rear. Lea yelped. Charity waited a moment, but Lea didn’t offer further protests. Charity’s fingers trembled as she began to hike up the dress, exposing Lea’s ong, pale legs.

“No underwear,” Charity remarked as she yanked the dress up above Lea’s hips without much care for faerie or fabric. “I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me.”

She stared in wide-eyed wonder for a few moments, idly stroking her hand up along the back of Lea’s thigh and over the firm, perfect curve of her ass. Then she pulled her hand back and brought it down with a loud, fleshy smack. I stepped a little to the side to get a better angle and got to appreciate the slight jiggle as Charity’s second blow landed. Lea made a soft sound at the back of her throat and squirmed.

“Hold her, Dresden. Put her across your lap and keep her there.”

I did so and Charity moved to the side of the bed. She stroked the flushed, marked skin where she’d struck and licked her lips. I grinned.

She struck Lea over and over, until the faerie’s ass was red and bruised, and each blow was greeted with a choked down whimper. Only then did Charity stop, gently resting her fingers on Lea’s ass. She stroked the flushed skin gently and each brush of her fingers prompted slow shivers. Charity was breathing hard now.

“Gets you wet, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” Charity admitted.

I parted Lea’s legs for her. “And her?”

Charity skimmed a finger up along Lea’s thighs. My faerie godmother’s hips jerked and pressed against Charity’s hands when she reached her destination.

“I’ve never…” Charity’s hand moved slowly back and forth between Lea’s thighs. “She’s wet… from this.”

“Never been with another woman?” Charity shook her head. “Well… she’s not human. Not sure if that makes it easier or harder for you.”

“Nor do I,” Charity said, but she kept touching Lea. “Can she take more?”

I shrugged. “She’s immortal, Charity.”

Charity’s breath escaped in a shuddery exhale and seemingly without thinking about it, she pressed the palm of her hands against the front of her jeans, grinding it against her sex.

“Take off her dress,” she told me. “Rip it to shreds and put her on her back.”

Fuck it. Lea could just put it back together with magic later if she wanted to. I stood and brought Lea with me. There was something ravenous in her eyes - a challenge. Maybe she didn’t think I had it in me to go through with this. Well, on that note. I grabbed the dress at the part where it’s V-cut ended and tugged hard. It wasn’t as easy as it might look, but the fabric tore by a few inches. I tugged at it again and again, and each time more and more of it ripped, until the dress was only connected by some constricting tatters at the hem. Charity walked up beside me, eyes hungrily roaming over the faerie’s flawless body. Her eyes lingered on her breasts, unfairly firm in utter disregard for their size and the laws of physics. A slight exaggeration, obviously, but not as much of one as one might expect.

Charity stared at Lea’s breasts and then cast me a look that plainly said ‘Are you fucking serious with this shit?’

I chuckled. “They’re real.”

“Really?”

“Check for yourself.”

Charity only then seemed to realise she could, and she grabbed Lea’s breasts like I might have had the first time I realised I could, greedily feeling them in her hands, squeezing and pinching. Lea’s hips shifted forward, seeking friction and finding nothing. She eventually settled for squeezing her thighs together. Charity scowled and gave her breast a smack. Not as roughly as she’d treated Lea’s ass, but enough that it must’ve stung. It jiggled pleasantly and Lea moaned, rolling her hips forward again.

“Put her on the bed. On her back.”

I did, and Lea spread her legs for us, chest rising and falling quickly. I helped Charity out of her shirt and she took care of her pants as I did. Then we both moved over to either side of Lea.

I couldn’t help stroking myself through my pants as Charity pinched and smacked Lea’s breasts. Charity’s eyes were dark and smoldering and as she drew her hand down along the flat, trembling plain of Lea’s stomach, she began to rub herself through her underwear.

“You are even more of a whore than I expected,” Charity said, voice low and smoky. “I’d heard that about you faeries, but I thought it was exaggeration.”

She gave Lea’s sex a tap of her fingers and her hips rolled upwards against the fingers, chasing them as they were drawn back. Charity smacked her again, harder, and Lea just moaned.

“Unbelievable,” Charity said. “I could keep hurting you and you’d come all the same, wouldn’t you?”

Lea made a low, needy sound at the back of her throat, spreading her legs wider and accepting the punishment Charity doled out.

“I could… I could let you come,” she panted, furiously rubbing herself. “Just like this, but-”

She lost track, broke off, and shivered violently. Her shoulders hunched forwards and her legs clenched on the hand between them. A low groan slipped past her lips.  
Lea made a frustrated noise as Charity came, clearly not far off herself. She ground herself up against Charity’s hand where it rested on her sex, but it didn’t seem quite enough, and as Charity collected herself, she drew the hand back.

“No,” she said, voice still shaky. “You don’t get to come. Not yet. First, you’re going to watch as Dresden fucks me. As he fills me up. Then, when I’m done with him, you may have your turn.”

I ignored the look Lea cast me and moved over to Charity, crawling on top of her as she lay back on the bed. We kissed, but it was clear neither of us were in the mood for waiting. Charity wrapped her legs around me as I swiped my tongue along her bottom lips, and I ground my hips against her sex, groaning into her mouth.

“Inside me,” Charity said raggedly. “I need it.”

I kicked my pants and underwear off and threw them aside, yanked Charity’s underwear down, and guided myself inside of her. I groaned at the feel of her and Charity moaned, perhaps a touch louder than was strictly warranted, and looking at Lea all the while.

Lea gritted her teeth, thighs crossed, muscles tensing and relaxing. I gave her leg a poke. “Not yet, love. You’ll get your turn.”

Lea glared at me, but she spread her legs again, and settled in to watch as I fucked Charity. It was a rough and tumble affair. I knew I wasn’t likely to last very long, but I was too far along to try to go slowly. Charity wrapped her legs around me, crying out each time I thrust inside of her, urging me on. 

I caught movement in my periphery, but Charity was clearly too busy to pay attention to it… up until the moment Lea straddled her face. I could see her blue eyes widen before she disappeared between Lea’s thighs. I was too lost in the moment to stop and Charity kept moaning, but the sound became muffled.

Lea’s smile was vicious and triumphant.

“Do not forget yourself, mortal harlot,” she said, hips shifting lightly against Charity’s mouth. “This is your rightful place. Please me and I may let you play with Harry in the future. I may even-”

She broke off, breath stuttering out of her lungs, and her smile broadened. “Aaah. There you are. Such a skilled, eager thing you are.”

Lea was clearly riled up from before. I bent forward and she did likewise, kissing me and moaning into my mouth as Charity continued to eat her out.

“Is she good?” I asked.

“Passable,” Lea said. “With training, perhaps she might be.”

Charity made a sound, of protest maybe, but found herself ignored. I kissed Lea again. I could feel myself get close, fast, and as badly as I wanted to hold on, I found I couldn’t. There was a sharp smacking sound and Lea whimpered raggedly into my mouth. Another smack, another whimper. Charity’s hands free and she’d taken to continuing her work from before. Lea’s trembled atop her and I could see Charity’s tongue moving back and forth along her clit. Another stroke fell and Lea stiffened, drew in a sharp breath, and pitched forward. She caught herself, but Charity took that moment to push her off her.

Her mouth was shining with Lea’s arousal and her face was flushed.

“Do it,” she told me. “I know you’re close. Do it!”

I swore as I came, movements stuttering and turning jerky as I came inside her. Each wave of my release pulse and Charity moaned, fingers dipping down between our bodies. My vision blurred and I only barely had the strength to keep my weight off Charity as she stroked herself.

Her hips kept on moving, though I’d stilled, and I ignored the discomfort of the overstimulation as Charity brought herself over the edge with a groan that was as much relief as pleasure.

In the aftermath, we all lay there. Charity in the middle, with Lea on one side, me on the other. Minutes passed in silence. Then Lea rather pointedly leaned over and gave Charity’s breast a smack.

Charity winced. Lea grinned. “A pity you are not as much of a glutton for punishment as you are for dealing it out.”

I made a feeble sound of agreement. “Would’ve looked really pretty on your lap.”

“Indeed,” Lea said. “Alas, we must work with what we have.”

“The handcuffs,” Charity said, voice croaky and strained. “They weren’t steel, were they?”

I grinned. “Nah. Looked good, though, didn’t they?”

Charity smiled slightly. “They did.”

She gave Lea a look, then leaned over and with something I would’ve sworn was shyness, she leaned in and kissed her. She made a thoughtful sound.

“We can’t do this again,” she said.

I smiled a little sadly. “No. We can’t.”

“A pity,” Lea noted, glancing at the bedside clock. “Three hours until we must leave to pick up Jennifer. We’d best make the most of them.”


End file.
